Well, I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Probably die in a small town
Oh, those small communities
Spring break had come and gone in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, and, surprisingly enough, the world hadn't ended. Yet.
Join Eddie and Dottie as they navigate what's left of the school year, graduation, D&D sessions with the Hellfire Club, falling in love, and potentially deadly supernatural encounters kicking off on a certain Very Important Anniversary no one stopped to warn them about. '86, baby.
eddie munson/original female character, st4 fix-it, slow burn, strangers to friends (idiots) to lovers, found family, canon-typical violence, swearing, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, happy ending (check each chapter for specific warnings)
word count: 194.2k (and counting!)
chapter list + extras below! ↴
chapter list:
chapter 1 - the wild boys [1.7k]
chapter 2 - what you need [1.4k]
chapter 3 - tonight she comes [3.9k]
chapter 4 - manic monday [4.1k]
chapter 5 - i've got a rock 'n' roll heart [3.2k]
chapter 6 - walking on sunshine [2.7k]
chapter 7 - the search is over [4.1k]
chapter 8 - the heat is on [4.4k]
chapter 9 - adult education [3.8k]
chapter 10 - that's what friends are for [7.5k]
chapter 11 - true colors [5.5k]
chapter 12 - fortress around your heart [7.1k]
chapter 13 - you give good love [9.5k]
chapter 14 - missing you [6.0k]
chapter 15 - don't you want me [7.3k]
chapter 16 - let's hear it for the boy [12.2k]
chapter 17 - girls just want to have fun [7.7k]
chapter 18 - i know there's something going on [5.9k]
chapter 19 - we built this city [7.6k]
chapter 20 - self control [10.3k]
chapter 21 - far from over [6.0k]
chapter 22 - let's dance [10.5k]
chapter 23 - cum on feel the noize [13.8k]
chapter 24 - up where we belong [9.9k]
chapter 25 - part-time lover [17.4k]
chapter 26 - the heart of rock & roll [14.1k]
chapter 27 - kids in america [5.3k] *NEW*
chapter 28 - thriller *coming soon*
...and more.
extras:
[1] official small town playlist (full post) + spotify link
[2] hellfire class of '86 class schedules
[3] wayne's chicken rice soup recipe
[4] maggie's lemon strawberry cake recipe
[5] girls just want to have a road trip playlist (full post) + spotify link
[6] hellfire club's d&d character sheets
[7] lydia's potato latkes recipe
[8] corroded coffin's kickass setlist (full post) + spotify link *NEW*
henlo. i'm not dead. just checking in and letting you know that if you're one of the -3 people still waiting for a small town fic update, i appreciate you. i'm actually waiting to see how st5 ends so i can make sure my ending doesn't complicate things for myself if i ever do a s5 rewrite.
so far, it's looking grim, ngl. i'm gonna have to tinker with canon heavily because the duffers don't know their own lore lmao. but we'll march on when time is right! thank you for waiting. i see your likes and reblogs and they give me a very much needed warmth during a difficult time of the year. so, happy holidays. stay safe, stay healthy, and be good to each other ❤️
theo van gogh was the one who suggested that his older brother vincent start seriously painting. as soon as theo was gainfully employed he gave vincent around 15% of his own yearly salary for art supplies, lodging, and food. about 2/3rds of vincent's surviving letters were to theo (including vincent's earliest and last letters), all of which were found stored in theo's desk. theo's child, vincent willem, was born on january 31st, 1890, and vincent was so delighted by his nephew that he painted almond blossoms for him. vincent shot himself half a year later on july 29th, 1890. theo's distress at his brother's death worsened his syphilis symptoms and he died half a year after his brother on january 25th, 1891 (four days before vincent willem's first birthday). theo was reburied next to vincent in auvers-sur-oise at the request of theo's wife johanna.
And that love lived on Theo's wife, Johanna, who was the one who pushed for the preservation of Vincent's paintings. Johanna who made sure that her husband's beloved brother would not be forgotten. Johanna who fought tooth and nail so that Theo and Vincent would never be forgotten. Johanna who carried the family legacy, who made sure that the works of Vincent would be kept in her possession. And then Vincent Willem, named for a uncle so loved, carried this legacy and founded the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.
The van Gogh family history is deeply interwoven with love. It was the love of a brother that gave a young man the courage to paint and the resources to do so. It was the love of a woman for her husband and her husband's beloved brother that made that story known. And it was the love of a nephew, who was so deeply loved even if for such a short time, that made it possible for the world to know Vincent van Gogh.
IN THIS CHAPTER: The Hellfire Club is in session, a backpack full of snacks, and blowing dice for luck [3.9k]
WARNINGS: honestly none but just in case: eddie being a menace and using way too many petnames, 5e mentions because that's the edition i know how to play and i wasn't about to learn 1e/advanced dnd for this so please let me have this one, it's important for later (shout out to my dm who might be reading this!)
masterlist - prev - next | playlist
I know tonight she comes
She's takin' a swipe at fun
Friday, April 4th - 1986
“If you feel uncomfortable and need me to come pick you up, call me, okay? Don’t walk home alone after it gets dark.”
“Okay,” Dottie didn’t move to get out of her dad’s car. “Dustin said there would be girls too.”
“That’s good. Girls are great D&D players, just ask Auntie Rachel.”
“Yeah. Thanks for the help. And the snacks.”
“Honey,” James Burke said warmly, perfectly aware his daughter was stalling. “Put yourself out there. Make new friends. You’ve got this.”
“You’re right,” she nodded to herself. “I’ll- I’ll try to have fun. I promise.”
“That’s my girl,” he leaned to kiss her head. “I love you. Now go!”
Dottie waved at her dad as he drove away from the school entrance, an old black folder that had once belonged to him held tightly to her chest and bags of gummies and other assorted snacks in her backpack. She took a deep breath and headed inside the school, slightly unnerved at the apparent silence and dozens of closed doors.
For a second she considered stopping at the bathroom, but the eeriness of the empty classrooms made her so uncomfortable that she decided staring at herself for five minutes trying to get her hands to stop sweating wasn’t worth it. Rounding the corner to the auditorium hall, she was pleased to hear movement inside the props room and put on a big smile fully expecting to see Dustin’s curls bobbing around.
When she realized the person inside wasn’t the warm kid who had invited her earlier that day, she stood at the door, awkwardly staring at the back of a long haired guy who was humming to himself while pulling things out of a cardboard box. He moved his hair out of his face as he grabbed something from the box and saw a flash of color swaying at the corner of his eye. Had that been a skirt?
“Hey there,” Eddie said, smiling and trying to make himself look as small and non threatening as he could. There was a very sweet looking girl standing in front of him, and truth be told, he wasn’t entirely too trusting of the sweet looking girls. “Can I help you with something?”
“Uh, I- I was supposed to meet Dustin Henderson here? At three thirty?”
“Dustin?” he checked his watch. “He should be here soon if you want to wait for him.”
“Thank you. The hallways are scary.”
“They are really quiet, aren’t they? I’d put music on but the chess club complains.”
“There’s a chess club here?”
“There’s all kinds of clubs here, sweetheart,” he chuckled, sitting on the table. “You can come in, you know. I don’t bite.”
With a nervous smile, Dottie walked further into the room noticing the dramatic lighting and the books and figurines on the table. He watched her curiously, wondering who the hell this was and why was she smiling as she reached for his DM screen, her eyebrows rising as she put two and two together.
“You’re Eddie,” she said, suddenly snapping her head up to see him, her short curls bouncing with the movement. Adorable, he thought. She put her hand into her skirt pocket and pulled out the black card Dustin had given her. “The Dungeon Master, right?”
“That’s me,” he motioned with his arms open dramatically. “And you are?”
“Oh, I’m Dottie. I’m your new player.”
“You’re the new recruit?” Eddie scratched his neck.
When Wheeler and Henderson had told him they had found someone perfect, this girl wasn’t what he had expected. In all honesty, he hadn’t been expecting a girl at all.
“I hope it’s okay that I’m a beginner, Dustin said you were really kind to newbies so I thought… If I’m bad or mess up your thing, I totally understand.”
“No, no, it’s… it’s fine. We just haven’t had a real beginner in a long time,” he said, crossing his arms while resting his weight on the table, touched that Dustin had been talking him up so much behind his back. “Do you want to watch today, see how everything works?”
“If you think that’s the best, sure,” she said, and he noticed she looked a little deflated.
“Or not. Trial by fire,” he smiled. “I can probably, uh, explain you the basics while we wait.”
“Would you like to check my character sheet? I’m not sure I understood the invitation correctly but I tried.”
“You came prepared, that’s great. A sign of a good player,” he encouraged her, preparing himself mentally to see what was probably going to be the worst character sheet he had ever seen in his life.
She extended her folder to him and waited for his judgment to pass quietly, wringing her hands at her back like she was waiting for a teacher to grade her. Eddie Munson read in silence, surprised at the level of detail in front of his eyes.
In the neatest handwriting he had ever seen for a D&D player, he read Holly Andover, halfling, cleric - light domain, level 1. There was a background picked (Guild Artisan), complete with personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws. Her inventory was full of carefully selected items, including a description of her two religious charms: one was attached to her quarterstaff, one was an armlet to be used when communing with her god, Lathander, during prayer. He eyed her curiously as he flipped page after page of neat notes, including a family tree and a list of spells and cantrips she would need as she leveled up.
“Are you sure you’re a beginner?” he continued to stare at a guild recommendation letter in a different, more manly handwriting, complete with a signature and a fancy stamp at the bottom.
“I’ve seen my dad play,” she explained. “I know how everything works, I’ve just never played myself.”
“Your dad plays Dungeons and Dragons?” Eddie wasn’t sure he heard her right. This proper and quiet girl wearing a knitted vest and a knee length skirt had a dad that played D&D in the middle of the Satanic panic?
“He used to play with his college friends back in New York. Not while he was in college, though, I mean like… the friends he made during college that are still his friends now.”
“You’re from New York? Who did you kill and why are you hiding in Hawkins?”
“It’s not that interesting to be honest,” she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “My dad is from Hawkins. We moved here during the winter break, he got a new job.”
“We have a couple of classes together, right? You’re a senior?”
“Yeah, I think we are together in Calc? And maybe other classes? I know I’ve seen you in the cafeteria but I don’t really pay a lot of attention, sorry.”
“No, no, it’s all good,” he lowered his voice to a dramatic whisper. “I don’t really pay a lot of attention either,” she giggled at that and it occurred to him that he might be in desperate need of a pair of glasses if he had never noticed this girl before in his life.
“So… what do you think? Am I ready to play or am I on the bench for tonight, coach?”
“Princess, with notes like these, you might be better prepared than Henderson himself.”
She felt her face grow hot and smiled at him. Her dad was right. There was nothing wrong with her, she could make new friends. She just had to find the correct people, and right now, staring at Eddie The Dungeon Master’s soft smile and bright brown eyes, she felt strangely at ease. By all means, if his face had looked less friendly and his words had been less kind, she’d have thanked Dustin for the invite and left before anyone could stop her, but he radiated warmth just by sitting next to her.
The doors of the room opened with a loud boom and she jumped, catching herself on the table.
“Jesus Christ, Henderson, you’re gonna break the hinges again and you know I’m already in deep shit!” Eddie rounded on him, words dropping out of his lips like it was common enough for this conversation to have happened multiple times.
“I know, I know, I’m sorry I’m late, the fucking cat-” he did a double take seeing his unlikely recruit with a hand on her chest feeling like her heart was trying to escape her body. “Hey, you came!”
“Yeah, you sold it really well,” she stated, dislodging her backpack from her shoulder. “Also I brought snacks as a thank you for inviting me and all that, but if you’re gonna give me a heart attack like that maybe I shouldn’t have bothered.”
Dustin and Eddie looked at each other like they had struck gold. Here was this mousy, polite girl, barely reaching 5’3", short wavy hair that brushed against the nape of her neck with every micro movement, dressed like a librarian’s daughter, bearing gummy bears and chips, and a frankly impressive folder for someone who claimed had never played a single game of D&D in her life. And she wanted to be part of their club. The Hellfire Club. Eddie’s mind was reeling.
“Where the hell did you find her, Henderson?” he muttered to the younger boy, as they watched her introduce herself to Gareth and Jeff and offer them a string of red licorice moments later.
“She was just there, reading The Hobbit,” he shrugged. “Not bad, huh?”
“Not bad, kid. Not bad.”
She laughed really loudly at something Gareth said and Eddie could have sworn he felt his heart pump blood faster. He was intrigued by this new puzzle presented to him. First Chrissy, now this girl. He wondered if maybe by the time graduation approached, women fundamentally changed the way they viewed the world and that made them… softer? Less judgy, perhaps. Or maybe some girls were just nice from the start and he had failed to see it.
He made a mental note to ask the next time he was out in the woods selling weed to his newest and most unlikely acquaintance, the Queen of the Cheerleading Squad herself, Chrissy Cunningham. If his math was right, he’d be getting a note from her in his locker asking for more product by next Wednesday.
Erica was the last one to arrive, and truth be told, she was the definitive judge of character of the group. She eyed the new girl in front of her, still wrapped in her American flag (“Why do you always bring that?” “You can’t spell America without Erica, stupid”), noticing that the boys were quietly watching the show about to unfold from the sidelines. Dottie extended a baggie of gummy bears to her as an olive branch.
“You’re Erica, right? I’m Dottie. I’ve heard so much about you, it’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Uh-huh,” the younger girl narrowed her eyes at the group who were looking very sheepish. “And what have you heard?”
“The boys were telling me you saved their asses in the last campaign, it sounded really cool. If I’m honest, the only reason I came is because Dustin said you would be here,” she didn’t flinch as Erica turned her eyes back to her, jaw tight, considering what the new girl was saying. “I’m glad there’s another girl I can learn the game from.”
“What do you play?”
“I’m a halfling cleric, light domain. Eddie said everyone was starting from level 1 this time, so it’s okay if I’m a newbie.”
There was a pregnant silence before the younger girl grabbed a few gummy bears from the bag and smirked. The room let out an audible sigh as the tension dissipated.
“You’re alright, but don’t push it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dottie nodded, not a single drop of sarcasm present in her voice.
“Are we gonna play some Dungeons and Dragons or do we have to wait until you middle aged ladies finish your tea time?” Erica rounded on the boys who immediately rushed to take their seats at the table.
She winked at Dottie as she went to sit in her rightful spot, directly across from the DM who was watching his little subjects from his throne with an amused expression on his face.
“Alright, children, let us begin.”
This guy knows what he’s doing, Dottie thought as Eddie weaved a tale of deceit and mystery in front of them. He had voices of all kinds stored in his body, his eyes transformed with each emotion he portrayed, his hands drawing them in like an illusionist setting the stage for a marvelous trick.
Their characters arrived in Frostwind, one by one, summoned to the perpetually-stuck-in-winter city by an urgent letter from an old friend and thief, Orfuel Evensorrow. Much to their dismay, it seemed they arrived a little too late, as they were informed that Orfuel was, in fact, dead, and that his funeral was to be held that same day. Intercepted by a shadowy figure in the forest right next to the old cemetery, the party learned that Orfuel had not died in a “job gone wrong” like they had been told, but had instead been betrayed by his long-time partner and murdered in cold blood.
For the first hour of the session, everyone settled into their new characters: Mike as Mozikith the dragonborn warlock, Dustin as Seebo the forest gnome rogue, Donny as Odorr the half-orc sorcerer, Gareth as Despair the tiefling barbarian, Jeff as Tharivol the half-elf druid, Erica as Bolhild the hill dwarf paladin, and Dottie as Holly the halfling cleric.
Eddie referred to his players by their character’s names more often than not when roleplaying, but it seemed that he had a plethora of nicknames for each of them, from Lady Erica (to which she responded greatly) to Gareth the Great and Mike the Magnificent. It seemed to Dottie that this was something he took pride in; finding what words made his players tick and how to give encouragement but still reel the party in when Dustin wanted to break into dangerous places or Jeff tried to befriend yet another random mule.
Donny drifted from being completely in character with half-interested grunts and short stern statements to being the nicest guide for Dottie as she had to learn to manage her stats and figure out by context what everyone else’s spells and cantrips did. She had ended up sitting at the corner with Donny on her right, Eddie at the head of the table to her left shrouded in drama behind his DM screen.
The only time someone (Mike, it was Mike) complained about her being too slow, the Dungeon Master sent him a look so dirty that no other comments about it had been made for the entirety of the session. His party would never disrespect someone who was trying their damndest to learn the complexities of D&D under his watchful eye.
At some point, the party split to follow up on two different leads; one group commanded by Erica and the other by Gareth. As faith would have it, Erica’s group’s clue was a dead end that put them on the other side of Frostwind unable to immediately save Gareth’s group from being ambushed at a tinkerer’s workshop. A sequence of bad decisions and terrible dice throws left everyone in the endangered mini-party except Dottie rolling for death saves and her trying to Spare the Dying her teammates in a raging panic.
“Stop trying to help us, just hit the fucking guy!” Jeff pleaded.
“I don’t have long range weapons, I can’t throw my quarterstaff at the idiot!” she said, hands flipping notes in her binder.
“Okay, let me see what you have left,” Donny said, leaning over to read her papers.
“Now, now, Donny-boy, what did we say about backseating?” Eddie sang, smiling at him.
“He’s not backseating if I don’t even know how to drive,” Dottie retorted.
“You got this, darling. Just take a breath and use that pretty little head of yours like you have been doing all session.”
She glanced at him, lounging on his throne with his body completely turned to her side of the table, his chin resting on his hand, his index finger curled on his lower lip and his long legs dangling from the right armrest. He looked dangerously unperturbed by the fact that he was about to decimate half of his players in the first session of a new campaign.
Dottie looked back at her folder and exhaled, calming herself. She skimmed the notes in front of her until she came across what she was looking for: a miracle.
“Gareth, if I use my last Cure Wounds on you, do you think you can throw your handaxe at the gnome?”
“I can try, but it’s his turn again after you go and he has two attacks,” he said, upset that he had already failed two death throws. “He’s just gonna get me again when I go back up.”
Dottie looked back at Eddie; he nodded once almost imperceptibly. His index ring glinted next to his lip. She went back to her papers.
“Okay, I… I’m gonna use my last spell slot to cast Guiding Bolt.”
“Make an attack roll,” Eddie smiled, his eyes shiny. He lived for these moments.
“God fucking damnit,” she muttered as the d20 stopped on a 1 in front of her. The table exploded in screams startling her.
“She’s a halfling! She’s a halfling!” Dustin and Mike were screaming.
“Lucky roll, she gets to do a lucky roll!” Gareth launched himself across Donny to grab the dice and put it in her hand again. Erica was losing her shit watching the madness unfold.
“Let her roll again!” Jeff yelled, his throat raspy.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” the DM raised a hand to quiet them down. “You don’t have to argue about the rules with me. Princess gets to roll again.”
She moved the big d20 in her hand, feeling the weight of the world on her palm. It belonged to her dad; he had kindly let her borrow a lovely wooden set that a friend had handmade in his garage shop for his birthday. Take care of them, honey, he had said as he put the felt bag in her hand. Or else Rob will have my head for losing them. It had to work. She couldn’t fuck up her first session ever, they weren’t going to invite her anymore if she ruined the fun for everyone.
Suddenly, her eyes drifted to Eddie who was watching her every move, concentrating on balancing all the different outcomes based on the possible results inside his head. Dottie extended her closed fist to him and he stared at it, confused.
“Blow.”
“What?”
“Blow on the dice,” she simply explained.
“Darling, that’s not how-”
“My Dad made me blow on his dice when he attacked and I don’t see my Dad in the room to return the favor for me right now so I’m asking you, Eddie, my Dungeon Master, to fucking blow on my dice for luck.”
To say that he was taken aback by her fire would have been the understatement of the decade. Without breaking eye contact, Eddie leaned forward as she opened her hand and blew on the dice. She closed her eyes and let the d20 roll down the table, stopping right in front of Erica. The girl smirked at the long haired man in front of her.
“Does a nat 20 work?” she asked, sweetly.
“NO FUCKING WAY!”
“ARE YOU SERIOUS?”
“WE LIVE, HOLY SHIT!”
Dottie opened her eyes when Donny lifted her up from her chair in a one-armed hug. Jeff and Gareth hurried to join the hug, screaming in her ears with delight that they were saved and putting 4d6 in her hands for her to roll her damage. The result didn’t matter, they all knew the bad guy shooting at them from the rafters was on death’s door anyways, but the rolls had to be done as a formality.
Eddie described with glee how her character’s eyes lit up in a flash of white, a bolt of pure radiant damage cracking from thin air, striking the evil tinkerer down from the ceiling and leaving a glittering hole on his chest. Now officially out of combat, Dottie was free to “revive” her friends and reunite with Erica’s group that had finally reached the workshop after running from one end of Frostwind to the other in the dead of the snowy night. They explored the house finding a few valuable trinkets to sell, a mysterious necklace that radiated evil energy and a very interesting letter guiding them to their next location.
Silently but with a happy heart, she helped put everything away when the session ended, laughing at her new friends theorizing about next week’s adventures and sharing the rest of the gummy worms with Erica who seemed to have decided to put away her sass until next time. They exited the school at 6:10 pm, Dustin hurrying to say his goodbyes to get home in time for dinner, pulling Mike and Erica along with him. A tan car pulled up to the entrance and flashed its lights at them, calling for attention.
“Well, that’s my Dad,” Dottie said, hugging her binder in the chill of the early April night. “I had fun today!”
“Man, you were great,” Gareth said, smiling warmly at her. “Are you coming next week too?”
“Of course! We gotta figure out who that shitty Lord is. I… I’ll see you on Monday, right? Drive home safe!” she yelled at them as she jogged to her dad’s car. Once she opened the door, she turned around remembering something important. “Hey, Eddie! Thanks for the luck!”
Jeff, Donny, Gareth and Eddie watched her get into the car, kiss her dad hello on the cheek and drive away with a wave. As the car reached the street corner and disappeared, they looked at each other, eyebrows raised.
“Did… did I hallucinate a preppy girl wanting to spend time with us playing fucking Dungeons and Dragons or did we all see the same thing?” Jeff joked, only half serious.
“Guess we’ll find out on Monday,” Eddie shrugged.
There was a rather big part of him that was wishing on all the stars that they hadn’t smoked the worst joint in the world and collectively conjured Dorothy Burke from nowhere. Eddie had the feeling he was gonna be thinking about her all weekend, and dared to hope that come Monday, she wouldn’t have suddenly decided she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. With us, he corrected himself.
On the road to her home, Dottie gushed to her Dad about her new friends and retold the amazing adventure they had been in. She complained about the bickering fights Mike would get in with Jeff, giggled at Erica’s way of commanding boys much older than her to do exactly what she wanted (I’m serious, Dad, I think Erica could run for President tomorrow and she’d win. I’d vote for her.), delightedly showed off the cassette tape Donny had lent her during a bathroom break, and dreamily shared all the details about the world Eddie had created for them to explore. She could have sworn that as she was telling him about her lucky reroll, she could still feel Eddie’s eyes on hers and his breath dancing on her fingers.
With red cheeks and glowing eyes, she reserved that part of the tale to relive when she was alone in her bed that night, giddy and anxious for Monday to arrive.
Don't you get sad and lonely
You need a change from
What you do all day
Friday, April 4th - 1986
By the time Friday came around, everyone in Hawkins High School knew to avoid Mike Wheeler and Dustin Henderson. The other Hellfire Club members had been prohibited to help and the two teens had gotten yelled at by Erica on Wednesday when they tried to get her to invite one of her friends to their weekly adventuring sessions. The two teens were currently sitting on the grass near the outdoor picnic tables after lunch, surveying the school population, assessing their next target.
“What about that guy? He seems nerdy,” Mike asked, twirling a bottle cap in his hand. His nervous energy was pissing Dustin off to no end but he couldn’t lash out to the only friend he had left.
“Already asked. What about that one?”
“He told me to “piss off, creep” on Tuesday. He has a Playboy calendar stuck to his locker door and he calls me a creep.”
“Ew,” Dustin shivered. “Playboy, really?”
“Yeah. D’you think we could ask Steve to ask Robin?”
“Asked and denied.”
“By Steve or Robin?”
“Both. They work this Friday. Also I think Steve hates Eddie.”
A companionable if slightly depressed silence surrounded them as they contemplated their options. Dustin stared across the yard at a lonely girl lying on a picnic table that everyone had learned to avoid over the years because it was so exposed to the elements; during sunny days, there was no shade to be found if you sat on it, and during cold, overcast days like that Friday, the wind was particularly unforgiving. She was bundled up in a warm coat, reading a thick book with headphones on, miles away from the world around her. He wished he felt as peaceful as she looked like in that moment.
Besides him, Mike threw the bottle cap he was playing with into a nearby bin. It struck the side in a barely audible clunk instead of going in and rolled away until it was out of sight under a table.
“I give up. We should tell Eddie we didn’t find anyone so he can rework the session.”
“He’s gonna kill us,” Dustin said, head on his hands.
“He’s not gonna kill us.”
“He’s gonna kill our characters.”
“He’s not-” Mike interrupted himself and groaned heavily before standing up. “Shit, he’s totally gonna kill our characters.”
“What if we asked Will to play over the phone?”
“Are you crazy? Do you know how expensive out of state phone calls are?” he put out his hand to help his friend get off the grass. “Come on, the sooner we find him, the faster we can get this over with.”
As Dustin trailed behind Mike, his hands in his pockets, he glanced one last time towards the peaceful girl on the bench. She had her feet resting on the table, her legs crossed at the ankles, her book propped up on her thighs as she fiddled with her cassette player while still lying down on the wooden seat.
That book, Dustin thought. I think I have that book. He was vaguely aware that Mike was trying to brainstorm how to tell Eddie in the nicest way possible that they had failed their mission when his brain malfunctioned and his legs stopped moving. I know that book!
“Dustin!” Mike yelled after him when he began running towards the girl. “Dustin, wait!”
The girl looked up from her cassette player to see two boys panting to her right, hands on their knees. Startled, she took her headphones off, sitting down with a wary expression. She hadn’t even seen them approach her.
“Uh, do you need something?” she asked, looking around to check who was around in case she needed help.
“Is- is that- hold on,” Dustin lifted a finger while he pushed air into his lungs. When he felt sufficiently ventilated, he smiled and tried again.
“Is that The Hobbit?” he pointed to her book, less winded but still a little breathless.
“Oh. Oh! Yes, it is,” she held it up so he could see the cover.
“I have that edition too, it’s great.”
“It’s my first time reading it so I don’t really have an opinion on it yet,” she shrugged. “Sorry to disappoint.”
“No, not a disappointment,” the boy assured her. “Do you like nerdy things?”
“I guess?” she laughed without malice. “What do you mean by nerdy?”
“You know, fantasy books, video games, Star Wars… That sort of thing.”
“Yeah, I mean… I dabble,” she said, smiling more openly now. The boy seemed harmless enough and he was clearly younger than her. “Do you have any recommendations or…?”
“Well, actually, now that you mention it…” Dustin looked at Mike who was still staring at him like he had grown two heads. “Would you like to join The Hellfire Club?”
“The what now?”
“The Hellfire Club!” he lifted up his knitted sweater to show off his t-shirt for her and felt encouraged when she snorted. Steve always said that making girls laugh was important to getting them on your side. “We play Dungeons and Dragons, it’s a board game, every Friday at four pm in the props room next to the auditorium and we’d love it if you considered joining. We have girls in the club too, it’s not just us smelly boys,” she laughed again at those words.
“Sounds- sounds great,” she said, smiling genuinely. “I know what Dungeons and Dragons is but I’ve never played myself before, I don’t think you’d want me to slow you down.”
“That’s totally fine, our club leader is really nice to newbies,” he said, knowing very well he had never seen Eddie with a completely new player before. “We’re actually starting a new campaign today so if you wanted to join, it’d be the perfect time.”
“Oh. Well, if you say it’d be okay…” she appeared to be seriously considering it. Dustin and Mike held their breaths. “I suppose trying it once wouldn’t hurt, right?”
“Totally, yeah!” the curly haired boy immediately dropped his backpack to the floor and began rummaging. He pulled a black card from inside his notebook and extended it to her; she looked it over with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. “This is our formal invitation. I normally show up half an hour early, I can help you with the rules or your character if you want.”
“Thank you, that’s really kind of you. Um, I don’t think I caught your name?”
“Dustin, Dustin Henderson. This is Mike.”
“Hi,” Mike waved next to him, essentially speechless that he had just seen his best friend turn on the Harrington charm to the max. He really needed to spend more time with Steve.
“I’m Dorothy. Dottie! I’m Dottie,” she corrected herself. “Well, Dustin, Mike, guess I’ll see you later? In the auditorium at three thirty?”
“In the props room next to the auditorium at three thirty, yes. It’s nice to meet you, Dottie. Bring paper and a pen!”
And with that, Dustin pulled Mike away to go find Eddie to tell him the good news. Dottie saw them run away, both teens vibrating with excitement, and smiled to herself. She had been in Hawkins for three months and this had been the nicest someone had treated her in school after the initial excitement of being a new classmate had worn off. She looked down at the card in her hand; it was hand-drawn and someone (Dustin? The mysterious leader?) had scribbled on it with a white pen.
You have been hereby invited to partake in an epic Dungeons and Dragons adventure, starting this Friday at 4 pm.
Your NEW character should be a friend to Orfuel Evensorrow, a chaotic good human rogue you’ve crossed paths with during his travels. He has an important task waiting for you in the distant lands of Frostwind. Be prepared. Be cautious. Do not disappoint him.
Sincerely,
Your Dungeon Master, Eddie
Dottie stared absentmindedly at the instructions, her brain already churning with ideas and plans for her character. She had to get home quickly and talk to her dad, possibly borrow his books that she was sure were carefully tucked away in his office bookcase. Giddy, she collected her things and hurried to her locker before her last class of the day.
In the distance, Gareth observed while standing next to Donny who was leaning against a wall, smoking.
IN THIS CHAPTER: The world doesn't end during Spring break, a basketball ruins lunch, and Eddie threatens the freshmen [1.7k]
WARNINGS: very mild bullying, this is just an intro to the story so it's short and sweet, english is not my first language so i'm sorry if something sounds strange
masterlist - prev - next | playlist
The wild boys are calling
On their way back from the fire
Monday, March 31st - 1986
Spring break had come and gone in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana and, surprisingly enough, the world hadn’t ended. Yet, thought Dustin Henderson as he parked his bike outside Hawkins High School. He knew something had happened between Mike and El during his friend’s visit to California (and between Mike and Will too for that matter), but if their phone calls were to be trusted, everything had been smoothed out without the need for his intervention.
For once, Dustin was glad he didn’t have to be the group’s self-appointed mediator; he already had enough with the guilt he felt for causing Suzie to lose her computer, he didn’t need extra problems on his shoulders. And he deserved a normal school year for once, goddamnit. Those hadn’t been common for any of them for a long time now.
As he hurried to get to his classroom, he crossed paths with Lucas Sinclair and his Championship-winning friends proudly wearing their basketball team jackets over their regular clothes. If the newly popular boy had seen him walk by, he hadn’t given any indications as to it, not one look, not one wave.
Dustin wasn’t entirely sure why anyone would enjoy hiding themselves behind a Tigers uniform but he sincerely hoped that once Jason, the captain of the team and current King of Hawkins High, graduated in mid June, Lucas would return to them from the dark side. For now though it seemed that he was perfectly content in his jock cult, and Dustin wasn’t about to give his new buddies a chance to throw him into a dumpster by walking into their huddle near the water fountains just to say hello to his (now former?) best friend.
The morning went by rather quickly for his tastes, and he could feel Mike’s anxious leg bounces next to him during Geography as lunch approached without any regard for their heart rates. Both teens had opened their lockers to find a folded black handmade card announcing the start of their next D&D adventure and they were painfully aware that a very uncomfortable conversation was about to unfold at the cafeteria.
Their beloved Dungeon Master, for all his enthusiasm and kind-hearted nature, wasn’t very troubled by his social status as the school’s pariah and Mike’s suspicions that he hadn’t immediately considered Lucas a goner following recent events had been confirmed when he saw the subject in question throw his own black card into a bin at the start of their shared Chemistry class.
His worst fear had also been confirmed when Lucas chose to sit at a different table than normal, forcing him to pair up with a rather dull girl with wild hair who was clearly not as interested in lab safety as she should have been. Her lab coat sleeve had caught on fire twice by the time the bell rang.
“I say we run,” Dustin proposed, clutching at his hard plastic food tray like it was a shield.
“Dustin. I am not having lunch in the bathroom again,” Mike countered, remembering their middle school days and having to hide from bullies.
“You know, it’s great that you mention that because I don’t think we are ever gonna be able to eat again after we tell Eddie Lucas is officially gone.”
“Come on, he’s not stupid, he knows how things work in Hawkins. I’m sure he was expecting him to leave anyway,” said Mike, completely unconvinced.
“Mike, this club is his baby and Lucas just spit in its face. In his baby’s face,” he said dramatically.
“We’ll be fine. We have Erica now. He’s not gonna care if we already have a replacement.”
“Great, we’re trading big Sinclair for little Sinclair. Fan-fucking-tastic.”
The curly haired boy trailed behind his taller friend on the way to their usual table where their fellow club members were already sitting, picking at their sad school provided lunches. Jeff said something to make Donny snort and choke on his can of Coke; a group of girls walking past them eyed him with disgust while Gareth cackled with glee.
“Hello, boys,” said Eddie, sitting at his usual spot: the head of the table. He looked up at them from behind his book. “Have a nice Spring break? Did you get enough smooches to last until summer, Wheeler?”
“It was alright,” Mike answered, wiping his palms on his jeans.
He knew Eddie meant no harm, but his relationship would never be his favorite topic to talk about with the other guys of the Hellfire Club. He didn’t think anyone at the table except Dustin would understand him dating a literal human experiment with superpowers that had saved the world multiple times.
“You know, I’m starting to think your girlfriend isn’t real,” Jeff teased.
“Yeah, you never talk about her, we don’t even know her name. Are you sure you didn’t imagine her?” Gareth narrowed his eyes, a lighthearted smile never leaving his face.
“Her name is El- Jane. Her name is Jane,” he quickly corrected himself. “She’s totally real, Dustin knows her.”
“Yeah, Jane is… awesome! She’s great,” he nodded, backing his friend up. “Total babe.”
“Dude!” Mike slapped his shoulder.
“What? I think Suzie is a babe. You don’t think your own girlfriend is a babe?”
“O-of course I do, what are you talking abou-”
“Children, children,” Eddie lifted a hand to stop the fight unfolding in front of him. “If Wheeler says she is real, she is real, alright?” he turned to look at Gareth, Jeff and Donny sitting to his right with matching grins on their faces. “It’s not like any of you three are swimming in ladies, so y’know, don’t throw stones if you live in glass houses.”
There were a few seconds of uncomfortable silence where everyone refused to look at each other and Eddie went back to his book: a very battered paperback with a lost cover that was probably hiding somewhere under the mess that was its owner’s bed. He was holding it with one hand, his other hand occasionally bringing a forkful of high school cafeteria mac and cheese to his mouth.
It was clear to both Mike and Dustin that he was heavily invested in what he was reading; if they didn’t know him any better, they would have never guessed that under all that unruly hair and leather there was an excellent storyteller and magnificent Dungeon Master. For all everyone knew, he was reading something for his English class but the Hellfire Club boys could tell by now that whenever Eddie had a book around, he was planning something terrible for their characters to go through during their weekly session.
Dustin was trying very hard to focus on his peas and ignore Mike elbowing his side violently when a basketball bounced right in the middle of their table, startling everyone and sending soda cans flying, liquid spilling everywhere. There was loud laughter as one of the Tigers retrieved the ball that was stuck to Gareth’s mac and cheese; Jason, the captain, high-fived whoever was standing next to him as if he had just witnessed the biggest prank of the year. When he turned around, Lucas, sitting at the jocks’ table, sent them a half-assed apologetic glance and went back to his new friends.
Wordlessly, Eddie pushed his tray in front of Gareth, who stopped trying to dry the table with the few napkins he had and went back to eating from his new lunch with burning red ears. As the elder leaned forward to steal back his unopened cup of pudding from the tray, he noticed a pair of eyes following him from a nearby table.
He didn’t recognize who it was, but the girl was staring at their table with a furrowed brow, something resembling sadness crystal clear on her face. She turned around to look at the basketball team’s table, shook her head, adjusted her headphones and went back to the textbook in front of her like nothing had happened. It wasn’t often that someone looked at their table like they didn’t deserve the disrespect they got. Making up his mind, Eddie put his book down and crossed his fingers, his rings clinking against each other.
“I think it goes without saying that Lucas Sinclair is no longer welcome in The Hellfire Club,” he said, resolute. “Guess that means you two will have to find someone to replace him. I’ll give you until Friday.”
“But we already have Erica!” Mike said, flinching at the shoe that kicked his shin from under the table.
“While I like the kid and she has more nerve than any of you combined, my newest campaign requires seven players. I’m not gonna rework it because Big Time Sinclair can’t grow a backbone.”
“Eddie, man,” Dustin started, trying to flatter him. “Six players is already too much to handle. Let us make this easier for you. We don’t need a seventh, right, guys?” he looked at Gareth across the table searching for support.
“Uh,” the teen glanced at his friend and leader, words dying in his throat as Eddie tilted his head towards him, sharp eyed and tense.
“Can’t you just ask the redhead you’re always hanging around to join?”
“We’ve asked, she’s not interested,” Mike deflated visibly.
“She has a lot going on,” Dustin said quickly, protecting Max’s honor. “Her brother died last year, she’s still processing.”
“Hargrove, right?” Donny said. “Man, that guy was a piece of trash but at least he kept Jason busy and away from us for a while.”
“I’m sure you two will find someone suitable to replace your little friend if you wanna keep playing with us. And no more middle schoolers. We aren’t running a daycare here,” Eddie smiled in a way that told everyone the conversation was done. “Now if you’ll excuse me, little lambs, I have business transactions waiting to happen.”
With that, the long haired leader disappeared from the cafeteria carrying the metal lunchbox where he kept his, ahem, products in one hand, the book he had been reading still open and the untouched pudding cup in the other one. The other members of the club scattered as they finished their lunch and went back to their routines, leaving Mike and Dustin at the table, heads in their hands, forgotten mac and cheese now sticky and cold.
“We are so screwed,” Dustin said, and Mike couldn’t help but agree.
Well, I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Probably die in a small town
Oh, those small communities
Spring break had come and gone in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, and, surprisingly enough, the world hadn't ended. Yet.
Join Eddie and Dottie as they navigate what's left of the school year, graduation, D&D sessions with the Hellfire Club, falling in love, and potentially deadly supernatural encounters kicking off on a certain Very Important Anniversary no one stopped to warn them about. '86, baby.
eddie munson/original female character, st4 fix-it, slow burn, strangers to friends (idiots) to lovers, found family, canon-typical violence, swearing, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, happy ending (check each chapter for specific warnings)
word count: 194.2k (and counting!)
chapter list + extras below! ↴
chapter list:
chapter 1 - the wild boys [1.7k]
chapter 2 - what you need [1.4k]
chapter 3 - tonight she comes [3.9k]
chapter 4 - manic monday [4.1k]
chapter 5 - i've got a rock 'n' roll heart [3.2k]
chapter 6 - walking on sunshine [2.7k]
chapter 7 - the search is over [4.1k]
chapter 8 - the heat is on [4.4k]
chapter 9 - adult education [3.8k]
chapter 10 - that's what friends are for [7.5k]
chapter 11 - true colors [5.5k]
chapter 12 - fortress around your heart [7.1k]
chapter 13 - you give good love [9.5k]
chapter 14 - missing you [6.0k]
chapter 15 - don't you want me [7.3k]
chapter 16 - let's hear it for the boy [12.2k]
chapter 17 - girls just want to have fun [7.7k]
chapter 18 - i know there's something going on [5.9k]
chapter 19 - we built this city [7.6k]
chapter 20 - self control [10.3k]
chapter 21 - far from over [6.0k]
chapter 22 - let's dance [10.5k]
chapter 23 - cum on feel the noize [13.8k]
chapter 24 - up where we belong [9.9k]
chapter 25 - part-time lover [17.4k]
chapter 26 - the heart of rock & roll [14.1k]
chapter 27 - kids in america [5.3k] *NEW*
chapter 28 - thriller *coming soon*
...and more.
extras:
[1] official small town playlist (full post) + spotify link
[2] hellfire class of '86 class schedules
[3] wayne's chicken rice soup recipe
[4] maggie's lemon strawberry cake recipe
[5] girls just want to have a road trip playlist (full post) + spotify link
[6] hellfire club's d&d character sheets
[7] lydia's potato latkes recipe
[8] corroded coffin's kickass setlist (full post) + spotify link *NEW*
just letting anyone who is still interested in this that i'm gonna be fixing up a few errors i found while i was moving my writing from google docs to ellipsus! i'm gonna change the formatting a bit to make it more readable because i didn't know what i was doing when i first started posting these
hope to post a proper update soon and sorry for disappearing!
Warnings: friends to lovers, obliviousness, literally, tooth rotting fluff, kissing, johnny using his powers
Summary: You've been Johnny's best friend since high school, then college, and even after his space trip where he came back changed, you were still there. You two were just friends. You would never cross the line with each other... Would you?
a/n; idk what came over me. Not proofread, sorry if there's mistakes.
Reblog, always. If you like the work, reblog it. The aesthetic of your blog is going to be fine.
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
Before the trip. Before space. Before the mutation, you had known Johnny since high school.
You remained friends, and then he became an astronaut with his sister. They've always loved space, ever since you were welcomed into the Storm household, you were fascinated by how much they knew about the universe that you didn't.
Then, the journey started, and you had never hugged Johnny as tightly as you did that day. Something was telling you something was going to change after it, but you didn't know what. Months later, many months later, they returned, but they were different. Especially Ben, who you immediately noticed was made of something like stone.
When Johnny stepped on earth, you were the first one he wanted to hug, but he was afraid. You were desperate to feel his arms around you, but he told you that he didn't know how to control his new powers. You were confused by what he meant until you were invited to see him. Until you saw that flame appear on his hand, and he wasn't in pain from it.
Then Reed was very elastic, and Sue could turn invisible and create force fields. Then Ben was powerful with his new form, and Johnny could light himself like a torch and fly thanks to it. You were stunned to see them all in this manner, and then they began fighting for society, striving to maintain peace in Manhattan.
Johnny became popular. He always was; it was hard for him not to be wanted or desired by people. A pretty face, fit body, charismatic, eccentric, and very charming. He had it all, and now that he was a superhero, he was the face of many advertisements, of many sponsorships, and products. You laughed when you first bought his cereal, and you collected every single figurine that came in it, different poses on each one from your best friend.
You collected all you could from him and Sue, but mostly from him. Even if he were now a superhero, model, celebrity, or whatever, he was still your best friend who you loved dearly. He also became sort of a womanizer, a new woman on his weekends, much easier than it was before. You joked to him that he would catch something if he kept on shaking that ass everywhere, but he dismissed you with a laugh and a shove on the shoulder.
The only thing bothering you was that you felt like he would forget you at some point. You felt like he wouldn't have time for you anymore. Between saving the city, the fame, and the women, where did you fit in? You also had those fears before, but not as much as you have now. You were afraid of calling him, telling him you want to hang out, and a girl would pick up. If that happened, you would know and have confirmation that Johnny didn't have time for you any longer.
But even so, if you called Johnny, he was there for you in a second. He was there after just one minute of talking. He would take you flying with him, letting you experience what it felt like to touch a cloud, how it felt to touch the tip of the Empire State, or stand on the crown of the Statue of Liberty. He was there for you whenever you needed him, and you were too. You took a little longer to get to him on your own two legs, and a drive, and an elevator to get to him, but you still did.
You always tried to make plans with one another, not wanting to let the friendship cinder to ashes. You had invited Johnny over tonight to have a drink together and catch up on events in the week, but your apartment was a freezer. It had been like that for two days now. The heaters were broken, and you still hadn't gotten them fixed. They told you it would take a week or so, and you just had to wait at the beginning of winter in New York. Great.
You tried calling their headquarters with the private phone you had, but only Herbie was able to answer, and you didn't know how to communicate well with the Robot yet, not as well as the others did. You grabbed the watch that Johnny had specifically given you so you could communicate with him. You pressed the side button, the watch lighting up as it beeped.
"Hello there!" You heard on the other side, cheerfully. You smiled, never failing to do so when you talked to him.
"Hey, are we still on for tonight?" You asked, already cringing at the fact you were going to cancel on him. He hummed, and you heard some static going on, making you frown.
"Yeah, I'm in fact, arriving— Now." Your eyes widened, turning around to see Johnny putting the flames out around him, waving at you with a charming smile on his face. He was holding a bottle of wine in the other hand, and you sighed, walking towards the window to slide it open. Johnny frowned as he saw the layers and layers of clothes on you. The door slid open, and you shivered as more freezing temperatures rolled in.
"Hey…" You greeted him, and he tilted his head, quickly moving inside, closing the sliding door behind him. He was dressed in a light jacket only, a white shirt, and his pants.
"Uh, hey, um… Are you trying every single piece of clothing for a reason or— Holy crap, it's cold in here!" He looked around, frowning as he could feel his body trying to warm up due to the low temperature in the room. Normally, his body had to cool down because you were always with your heaters, but now, he was raising his body temperature instinctively.
"Yeah, my heater's broken. I am wearing every possible sweater and jacket, plus three pairs of sweatpants, as you can see, the beanie, the gloves, and there's a blanket on the couch as I watch T.V.." You sighed and walked towards the kitchen, wobbling like a penguin, almost, making Johnny snort. You turned around to shoot a glare his way, making him clear his throat.
"Sorry. You just look really funny like this." He put a fist over his mouth to stop himself from laughing, but you groaned, turning against to waddle towards your cupboards, taking two wine glasses out.
"Yeah, well, I was calling you to suspend our night until my heaters were fixed cause— I look like the Pillsbury doughboy and I walk like a penguin." He snorted again, and you glared at him, gripping the two glasses in your hands. He winced at your gaze, feeling the daggers on his body.
"A cute penguin!" He tried to save it, but you only sighed, waddling towards the couch, moving side to side. He had to hold his lips into his mouth as he tried really hard not to laugh at you. He moved right next to you, as you grunted while bending down and putting the glasses on the coffee table. You then flopped on the couch, legs spread because you couldn't close them thanks to the amount of pants on you.
He had to look away for a second to compose himself again and took a deep breath in, sitting next to you. He wrapped his thumb and index finger around the top of the bottle of wine. You watched as you saw his hand start reddening, and the cork started moving upwards. The heat started expanding the air inside the bottle, and then the cork popped out, and he grabbed it before it would fly off.
"Show off." You mumbled, and he chuckled, looking back at you.
"Wouldn't be me if I wasn't." You smiled, seeing how he poured the wine in the glasses, and you tried to move to sit up, but you couldn't due to the amount of clothes. You groaned loudly, whining as you raised your hand hopelessly to the glass.
"I hate this…" He rolled his eyes, and you started feeling slightly warmer. A lot warmer actually. Okay, fucking hot. "JOHNNY!"
"I can be your heater! Take off all of those clothes!"
"Ask me on a date first." You joked, and you felt the air grow cold again as he glared at you, and you whined again. "Okay, I'm sorry, please give it back…"
"Ask nicely."
"Please~?" You asked in a sweet tone, and you felt the warmth invade you again, the entire room heating up. You sighed happily, taking off your gloves and beanie. You still felt a little cold, but you took your jacket off to be able to move a little more. You sat up now, even if a bit constricted, you could at least reach your glass. "Thank you."
"No problem. You still cold though?" You shrugged as you took a sip of your wine, and he did the same.
"Yeah. I've been in the cold for two days now, so it's not easy to feel warmth again—"
"Two days!? Why didn't you call me?!" He asked loudly, setting the glass down. Your eyes widened, looking back at the blue irises that were staring at you.
"I'm— You have more important things to do than be my personal heater!"
"What do you know? I might have been available!" He exclaimed, and you didn't have anything against that. You pursed your lips, looking away, taking another sip of your glass. You suddenly felt warmer, and your clothes started feeling a bit heavy on you.
"Johnny, no need for more—"
"I won't stop until all those layers are gone." There was no hint of a joke on his face. He was serious, looking at you intensely. You sighed, standing up and taking two of your sweatpants off. You continued with two sweaters, leaving you in just one pair of sweatpants, your shirt, and a sweater.
"Happy?" He smiled triumphantly and nodded. You sat back down, wrapping the blanket around your shoulders, the warmth around you slowly engulfing you. You scooted a bit closer to him, wanting more of the heat that he was releasing, and he chuckled at you, raising his eyebrows.
"Now, you just want a bit of Storm action because you can't still be cold." He joked, and you rolled your eyes, bumping your shoulder to his.
"Shut up. I'm still warming up!" He smiled, putting the glass on the coffee table and looking at you.
"Come here." You frowned a bit, raising an eyebrow his way.
"What?" Suddenly, he grabbed your legs, putting them across his lap. You yelped at the sudden action, surprising you. But then you felt him wrap his arms completely around you, and you couldn't deny just how warm this was. How calm it felt. You closed your eyes, snuggling into your best friend's chest.
You could hear his heartbeat, steady, yet a bit accelerated at times. His fingers drawing circles on your thighs, your arm, holding you close to him, like your own personal fireplace. Johnny and you show affection through physical touch. It started with hugs, then hand holding, arm locking, kisses on the cheek, forehead, wrestling playfully, and sometimes even slow dancing.
Everyone at school had bets on when the two of you would get together, but then college separated you both. He went to study aerospace engineering, while you went to become a nurse yourself. You could say you also saved lives, in your own way. People Johnny saved, you took care of later on.
It never stopped your friendship, nor how you care for him, and he feels the same for you. You both feel safe with one another, and it feels like nothing could get between you two. Not even his powers could. He still has a special place for you, and you couldn't be more grateful for that.
"So, what have I missed this week?" He asked, and you opened your eyes, pouting in thought.
"Mmm… My boss was a bit of a bitch on Wednesday." He hummed, frowning.
"How so?" You raised your head, your nose slightly brushing against his.
"I asked for an MRI on a patient who urgently needed it, but she wanted to prioritize the son of some senator or whatever, so I went behind her back and requested it. I received praise from people, cause if it weren't for me, that person could have died from a cyst that was growing in the back of his brain!" His mouth fell open at your ranting, feeling a bit enraged that you would get yelled at for saving someone's life.
"And did you get in trouble for that?" You sighed and shook your head.
"No, but she has been treating me like shit since then. Just cause I got praised for acting accordingly, and she got scolded." He hummed, nodding. A playful smile appeared on his face, a wiggle of his eyebrows showing off.
"Should I go to her house and see if she has her clothes out to dry?" You gasped with a smile, his arms instinctively pulling you closer at your soft laughter.
"Maybe you can also… melt the tires of her car." He made a surprised face, then bumped his forehead against yours for a second, not noticing how close the two of you were getting.
"Oh, naughty. I like it. How about her wires, should I melt those too?" You nodded enthusiastically, the smile never leaving your lips. The warmth was perfect, your cheeks felt hot in the best of ways, and you just felt happy. For some reason, this situation here was making you feel in a way you couldn't describe. Something good.
"Please, and then she wouldn't have T.V for a while, and maybe she would focus on her job more." His nose was brushing yours now, your hand curling on his chest, gripping his shirt to hold on. You weren't aware of how his breath was hitting your lips, nor how his hands were gripping you tightly to him.
And Johnny was in the same spot as you were. He wasn't noticing. He was just enjoying the moment, having a laugh with you like he always did, disconnecting from all the problems and the troubles around the city. He wanted to keep you warm, make you smile the way you were doing right now, always.
"Now you are thinking, Pillsbury." You gasped, nudging him a bit, and he laughed wholeheartedly, his eyes never leaving your face.
"Don't call me that…" His voice was lower without intending to, as your own voice turned into a whisper.
"What? It's cute, I think it's gonna be your new nickname." He stated, and you shook your head slightly, but a giggly smile was still on your lips, trying to push him away.
"No, it's not…" And he was smiling as his face inched closer, as if he were magnetized to you.
"Well, you are cute, so it fits…"
"Oh, really…?" Your voice, just a breath, as his eyes became half-lidded.
"Yeah, really…"
And then his lips came in contact with yours.
The world stopped around you, completely. You were alone in this existence with him, just him. The noises were suppressed, and the feeling on your fingertips was gone as you kissed back. Your eyes closed as his lips moved against yours. Your mind was gone, and his was too. You two weren't thinking; you just acted. Your bodies moved for the two of you.
His hands held you tight against him, afraid of letting you go. Your heads moved as if it was something you two do every day, as if it was normal in your life. But it wasn't. It wasn't. It wasn't normal because the two of you never thought of each other that way. Not him, not you.
And you both pulled away at the same time, shock displayed in your faces. Eyes wide, and now puffy lips from kissing.
You gulped heavily as you waited for him to talk. You never thought of kissing Johnny before. You were friends from the first moment you two interacted. He felt the same thing about you. He has never seen you the way he sees other women. Right?
"Um…" You started, nervousness dripping off of you in waves. He stuttered a bit, something that was not normal for Johnny Storm.
"Uh—" He didn't know what to say, or how to explain himself really. He cleared his throat because he only took one sip of wine, and you did too. But fuck, not even in your drunken nights did you two do this.
"Why… Why did you kiss me?" You finally have the nerve to ask, and Johnny turns a bit red on the cheeks and looks at you, still wide-eyed.
"Why did you kiss back?" You frowned a bit, your eyes squinting slightly at him.
"You kissed me first."
"But you kissed back." He retorted, and you started getting more nervous, because you didn't know how to respond to that. You really didn't.
"But you kissed me first!" You tried again, and he nodded, stuttering once again.
"Y-Yeah, but you could have pushed me away, and you didn't, so why?" It was a never-ending battle on each of your sides. It was going to be a back-and-forth that left you unsure who would win or how the topic should be discussed.
You were both looking at each other, heavy breathing, trying not to let your nerves eat you out. This had never been a thought. This had never been an intention, in either of your lives. This was pure instinct. It was as if your bodies moved on their own, and there was no real rational answer for it. You didn't like Johnny that way, and Johnny didn't like you like that either.
Right?
"Johnny, you are burning up." You mumbled out, and he shook his head, clearing his throat as if you were saying nonsense.
"I'm at the temperature I was before we uh— we, yeah." You felt your throat closing up because the more you looked at him, the more your eyes drifted to his lips.
They felt good.
But when your eyes moved away, his landed on your lips as well, then towards his arms that were still holding onto you, not letting go at all. Hearts were beating erratically as the seconds passed, which felt like minutes, even hours. He should not want it again. He shouldn't even think of it. He didn't even know why he did it in the first place.
He didn't know why you kissed back. He didn't know why he kissed first, and for the first time ever, he felt he was burning up himself.
"Yes, and you are making me sweat!"
"I am not burning up. Why would I be burning up? I can control my flames." He defended himself, and you felt your body starting to sweat as if you were between five fireplaces. His eyes found yours, and for a second, you saw a flick of fire in them. This is something new. But maybe, just maybe, it was a feeling the both of you didn't knew about. Something that was either dormant or was in your subconscious. Either way, what you both did know, though, was that you wanted it again.
"Why did you kiss me?" You asked again, softer this time. He gulped, licking his lips as his eyes drifted to yours for just a second.
"Why did you kiss me back?" The leaning started happening again, the both of you noticing this time, but not stopping. Your heart was in your ears the closer you two got.
"You did it first…" You whispered, and when his lips were just a sheet of paper away from yours, he mumbled.
"And you didn't stop it…" And his lips were back on yours, slotting perfectly. Your hand moved to the back of his head, holding him in place, pulling him closer than before. This was weird because it felt right, but you never thought something like this would happen with him.
Johnny always found you pretty, but the moment you became his best friend, that feeling went away. That attraction he felt at the beginning was gone. Maybe it was never gone? Perhaps it was deep inside him, and he just never entertained the idea of something more with you?
Why didn't he?
His hand rubbed against your thigh, and the kiss deepened even more as he breathed heavily through it. You were kissing back just as hard, and you could feel yourself growing hot, and it was no longer thanks to Johnny. You should be freaking out. You should be weirded out. You should pull away and stop this before it escalates into something the two of you would regret later. But you cannot find it in yourself to do so.
His tongue licked your bottom lip tentatively, your mouth instantly opening to welcome his tongue in. Shivers ran down your spine as his fingertips dug deeper into your body. He groaned into your mouth as tongues explored uncharted territory. Territory you two never thought you would step into. He should let go of you, and, shit, he can't.
Your hands were now cradling his head, and he started moving, slowly lying down on the couch, moving his legs from under yours. As you went down with him, you mumbled into his lips.
"What are we doing?" He kissed you again, nudging your legs open with his knee. You spread them with glee, and he settled in the middle, as if he always belonged there. He breathed into the kiss, never separating his lips from yours.
"I have no idea, but I don't wanna stop." His hips brushed against yours, and a sigh escaped you. He had to grasp that bit of rationality left. He had to for the sake of your friendship, for the sake of whatever was left of it. He unwillingly pulled away, gulping as he looked down at you. Your eyes were lost, half lidded, and looking at him with a gaze he never thought you would give him.
He licked his lips before talking again,
"Should we talk about it?"
And you could see that fire in his eyes. That fire that didn't belong to his flames. It was a different kind. One you wanted to experience. From the person who had always been there for you, in your good and bad times. From the person who saw through you like a plastic wrap. You didn't want to stop. He didn't want to stop either.
You had been there before, and even after everything, you were still here. Maybe, it had been hidden. Maybe this wasn't wrong at all.
"After…?" You whispered back, and he hummed in approval, his lips desperately found yours again. His hands roamed over your sides as his hips rolled over yours, just slightly, and that was enough to drive you mad.
What were the two of you doing?
You could find out later.
end
idk the situation of realizing you are actually attracted to someone is real to me, and it happened to me, so yeah. me projecting.
so i've been trying to read your stuff like i said i would but my boss decided to go on holiday and disappear in the middle of a goddamn disaster SO WHATEVER OKAY I'M VERY STRESSED i think i would give myself a heart attack if i tried to read smut right now bUT THIS!!!! ROE!!!!! THIS IS SOME GOOD FUCKING FOOD!!!!!
totally relate to the feeling of finding out you're sorta kinda very into your friend while being in their arms, it makes for a very cute moment
i am also now thinking about johnny being able to put a warm hand over your tummy when you're on your period I KNOW that feels good as fuck 😭😭😭 what a man i love him (i still haven't seen the movie shush)
loved this love you can't wait to read more when i'm not swamped at work MWAH 🥰
