#for el

[arinewman7]

Speechless

Photography by Shirin Neshat

ink on gelatin silver print, 1996



[gravelyhumerus]

cm characters as soup:

hotch - tomato soup

morgan- chicken noodle soup

emily - french onion soup

reid - alphabet soup

jj - broccoli cheddar soup

penelope - butternut squash soup

rossi - italian wedding soup

[smoochcal]

numb without you (part twenty-three)

a/n: well I definitely didn’t get back on my writing grind over my Christmas break but that’s okay because guess who’s back and better than ever! I am writing this right now for el because an update is well deserved. if you are new to nwoy, welcome! if you are a veteran of this series, thank you for your endless support. I don’t want this author’s note to be too long so without further ado, part 23 (read part 22 here!)

pairing: readerxluke

playlist: numb without you by the maine, mystery’s gone by speak low if you speak love, valentine by COIN, gold on tv by lennon stella & jp saxe

word count: 1.6k

rating: PG-13

summary: y/n is nesting and her and calum have a heart to heart conversation

warnings: mild language

Y/N’s POV:

Calum stopping by was a kind of unexpected surprise, but it has been two weeks since that seemingly awkward encounter and you are swiftly nesting away at Luke’s place and Calum’s. You are grateful for the fact that neither of them seems to mind too much, although you know what a hassle two cribs and two nurseries have already been before the baby is even here. You are very fortunate to have RM/N support you with your nesting at Calum’s place. In fact, she stayed out of the nursery completely the last couple times I have been over at their place, but I believe that was more on the premise of her latest binge watch of New Girl over anything else.

Calum has been in and out of the studio a lot lately with Luke, so it has mainly just been you and RM/N at the house. It is surprisingly quiet in the house without Calum there, not that he usually is one to make a lot of noise. It seems like the only sounds throughout the entire house are coming from the television in the living room and the soft shuffle of your feet throughout the nursery. Your movement has become more of a waddle within the past couple of weeks. And you are slowly but surely becoming more impatient with waiting for your little bundle of joy to make her way into the world.

With your efforts, your little girl’s nurseries are as complete as they can be. The only thing missing in both cribs in both houses are your baby sleeping within them. You have washed and folded every article of clothing you already have for her between your many shopping sprees and all the gifts you received from your baby shower. Her crib is all put together, the proudest factor of the whole ensemble being the pink and purple dinosaur sheets you found last week. You are as prepared as you are ever going to be for your firstborn child, you just hope that things won’t become too overwhelming with the fact that she basically has four adults willing to take care of her at any given moment.

Calum’s POV:

You have been in the studio tirelessly for the past several weeks. You understand why there are deadlines in the music industry, but at the same time you truly believe it somewhat stunts your creative abilities. You and Luke have been trying your best to get the melody right on your latest song, but you have been failing miserably. It doesn’t help that the studio is the last place the two of you want to be. You know that if anything happened that RM/N would call you right away and get Y/N to the hospital, but you still feel like you should be the one with her in these remaining days before the baby arrives.

-------------2 hours later---------------

You just parked in your driveway after a long day at the studio. You offered to take Luke home because the two of you carpooled there anyway, but was it really a bad thing that you hoped Y/N would still be at your place nesting by the time you got back? You know RM/N texted you twenty minutes prior that she was going to her three-hour lecture on campus and that she would be gone for most of the night. You know it would be the healthy thing to do if you talk out your issues with Y/N. She is usually a very understanding person and the only other person you usually bring up your issues to is RM/N. You don’t want RM/N to know that Luke and Y/N’s relationship is making you jealous. It would ultimately harm your current relationship with RM/N.

To your relief and simultaneously to your surprise, Y/N is sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery of your home. She is humming to herself quietly while rocking slowly back and forth, one hand on top of her very prominent baby bump. This is the kind of moment when you wished you were good at photography. You do your best to take a mental picture of this precious moment and find yourself daydreaming about all the precious moments to come with your daughter. It didn’t take long before Y/N noticed your presence and pulled you out of your own headspace.

“Calum, you’re home sooner than I thought you would be…you just missed RM/N. She had her night class tonight if I’m not mistaken,” Y/N states as she slowly makes her way up and out of the rocking chair in the corner of the room.

“Yeah, our producer let us out of the studio early since Luke and I can’t focus for the life of us haha,” you respond lightly, hoping you didn’t startle Y/N as much as you think you have.

“Well I can go home if you want to be alone and decompress, I’ve spent most of my day here anyway. I should probably get home soon,” Y/N replies with a gentle smile spread across her face.

“Actually, there was something I was hoping we could discuss before I take you home,” you start, silently hoping that she will agree to this conversation that won’t be easy for either of you.

“Yeah that’s fine, but can we talk on the couch? I have been on my feet way too much today already…” Y/N trails off as she heads to the couch, not waiting for your reply on the matter.

You join her on the couch, keeping an appropriate distance due to your want to respect her privacy and space. She is growing an entire human inside of her and that is no easy job. You don’t want to make her any more uncomfortable than she already is.

“I just wanted to talk about our current situation. Like obviously we are both in separate solid relationships with other people and I don’t want any confusion between us. Obviously, we are going to be parents soon…. I don’t know I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m happy for you and Luke, I’m glad the two of you are finally together. I mean we all saw it coming…just the timing of it all was a little concerning. And I guess you could turn that around on me as well considering how quickly I fell for RM/N… I don’t know I just feel very overwhelmed with it all ad I want to be as transparent with you as possible before the baby comes. I’m not a very open person and I know that is one of my flaws and I am trying for everyone else’s sake to get better at that, but I just wanted to let you know where I am at with all if this… I don’t want to end up resenting you or Luke or anyone in this situation. I just wanted to let you know where I’m at with all of this so you are in the loop, if that makes sense…” you trail off recognizing that you just rambled off the problem to Y/N in possibly the worst way.

She takes a while to comprehend all of what you just said, you know that you dumped a lot of information on her all at once and you do not expect a response from her right away. You hope she understands where you are coming from though with all else considered. You hear her take a deep breath in before she says the words you were anxious to hear come out of her mouth.

“I believe we will find a way to work everything out once she is here. The two of us will always be her parents, it would take a heck of a lot to change that, but you also have to understand that Luke and RM/N are going to be a big part of her life as well. As much as I hate to admit this, we made a mistake. A beautiful mistake and I would not change it for the world, but a mistake, nonetheless. We have to act like the adults we are here and evaluate our situation with where we currently are and where we want to be as parents. I am willing to coparent with you and do everything that is necessary for our daughter and I need to know that you are on board with me on all of this as well. Our days are numbered in the sense that she will be here before either of us know it and I want to make sure we, for the lack of a better phrase, have our shit together before that time comes,” Y/N concludes, which leaves you in awe with how much she has grown throughout the past eight months.

With that response alone your mind is now at ease. If the two of you could have a mature relationship on this subject matter, you are certain that you can conquer anything else that life throws at you. You thank Y/N for talking with you and most importantly for not bullshitting you on this. You offer to take her home, back to Luke, and she agrees by hugging you tight. You will be alright. Everything has its way of working out the exact way it is supposed to.

[partwayhappy]

Movie Date

A few headcanons for Part 7 of @freshxbloom‘s lovely “Stories from Summer” series.

• The first time El went to the movies was the summer of ’85. She was only halfway into her year of hiding and still had to avoid being seen in public. However as summer rolled around, the rules loosened a little. Kids were off for the summer. Other kids were in Hawkins visiting relatives. It was only natural for El to blend in with the seemingly endless crowd of young people that invaded Hawkins’ social areas. Eventually Hopper decided it was ok for El to go to the theater with rest of The Party because: 1) The people there would be more focused on the movie than the other patrons and 2) Hopper was ready to shoot himself if he had to watch one more soap opera on his day off.

• Mike agonized for weeks over what would be the perfect movie for her to see. Sci-Fi? (”No, what if I’m the only one who likes it and she’s just humoring me. I don’t want her to be bored.”) Drama? (”She’s been through so much already. Do I really want to show her something that might bring back bad memories?”) Animated? (”Aww no, I don’t want her to feel like I’m treating her like a child.”) Horror? (”Hmmm, maybe she’ll be scared and cuddle up to me...no, No, NO!!... that’s a creepy Steve move. Besides...she’s faced off against a Demogorgon and a Mind Flayer. A rubber monster’s not gonna faze her.”)

• As Luck would have it, The Hawk Theater was having a special showing of The Breakfast Club Saturday night. The Party had loved the movie when it had first come out and Mike figured El (being a soap opera fan) would like the characters and story. 

• From the very first moment, El fell in love with going to the theater. As she approached The Hawk she marveled at the sight of it: The brightly lit marquee, the glass cases housing the gorgeous movie posters, even the sight of the ticket booth with it’s staff in their pressed uniforms. As she walked in she savored the smell and crackle of the popcorn. She walked slowly as she felt her beat-up, white Converse sink into the plush red carpet underneath her feet. Inside there were different hallways lined with even more posters. To El, each one seemed like a portal to another world. And she wanted to visit them all.

• As they settle into their seats, Mike smiled as he watched El peering at every little detail around her. She bounced up and down on the folding seats. She crinkled her nose at the sticky sounds of her shoes pulling off the floor. She grinned at the fact that she was finally able to see a movie, an actual movie(!), like any other teenager. As the lights dimmed and the red curtains in front of the screen parted, Mike could hear a small gasp of anticipation escape from her.

• For a moment, El’s face tightened with a sad look; an advertisement for the Hawkins National Laboratory displaying on the screen. Mike squeezed her hand and reassured her that it was an old advert that the staff had yet to take down. He tells her that the lab was gone now and they could’t hurt her anymore. Ever.

• When the first trailer began, all fears left El. Although she’d seen advertisements for movies on television, something about seeing it on a big screen just captured her attention. With each trailer, El made a mental note of what she would like to see next (Next Week: Goonies. Next month: Back to the Future and Silverado. August: Weird Science and Teen Wolf.) 

• Throughout the entire movie, Micheal Wheeler couldn’t stop staring at El Hopper. He was struck by the concentration in her eyes. And he found himself falling even more in love as he watched her unknowingly repeat the lines from the movie. Midway through, she caught him staring at her. As he quickly looked down and blushed, El smiled and leaned over to give him a quick peck on the cheek before going back to the movie. 

• At the end of the film, El insisted on staying and watching all of the credits. She was fascinated by the sheer number of people it took to make such a beautiful piece of art. All throughout, she peppered Mike with questions. What’s a gaffer? Who’s the “best boy”? Is there a “best girl”? Can *I* be a “best girl”? 

• As they walked out of the theater, El declared she wasn’t ready to go home yet and asked Mike to walk with her. They circled the town center for almost an hour talking about the movie. They thought about what happened to the characters the following Monday after detention. Did Claire and John stay together? Did Allison and Andy? Or did they just get caught up in the moment and would be too embarrassed to hang out in front of their normal friends? How did Carl go from being the school hero to a janitor? Maybe The Party should go dressed as the Breakfast Club for Halloween. Can we take a bus and visit Shermer, Illinois?

• After watching several films, El discovered she had a unique talent. She’d impress the boys with her ability to quote lines word-for-word from a movie after having only seeing it once (Mike completely melts when he says he’ll try to spend more time with her and she gives him the Yoda, “Do or do not. There is no try.”). 

• In the months (and years) to come, El would find the movie theater to be a favorite place of comfort and escape. She’d save every ticket stub of every movie she had seen and keep them in a small box under her bed. And the day when she and Mike move in together, she hangs up a picture frame with the tickets from their very first date from the summer of ‘85.

To the SFS cool kids who were kind enough to let me stick around:

@freshxbloom @strange-thangs @maplestreet83 @martiegalwrites @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold @janeswheeler @cstlebyrs @formerlyjannafaye @michael-hearteyes-wheeler @jane-el-hopper @themikewheelers @elizabthturner @the-proud-princess @itcouldbendoritcouldbreak @scottsclarke @the-most-beautiful-broom @hannahberrie @dancingskygreen @mileven-and-contemplation @mikeswheeler @moodyandmoonyeyed @jopper-chopper @earlgreyteagirl @stevemossington @thezoomermax @bubblynancy @mothersnail @writer-lia

[artificialqueens]

I remember when I requested a fic where Shea/Dan had to marry Sasha/Johnny to keep them in the country & I'm so glad it's become a reality! I can't wait to see how the relationship develops between the four of them & I'm so happy you included Katya, Trixie, & Peppermint. Can't wait for the next chapter 💓

[smoochcal]

numb without you (part twenty-two)

a/n: finals have been draining my creative juices, but I’m done for the semester and I’m hopefully back on my writing grind. enjoy this update as it is inspired by el as always. feedback is much appreciated so please let me know what you think. enjoy a full update in calum’s point of view! read part twenty-one here.

pairing: readerxluke

playlist: numb without you by the maine, messy by twin xl, medicine by new hope club

word count: 1.5k

rating: PG-13

summary: calum goes to visit y/n and is surprised to find her there with luke

warnings: mentions of sex, hostility, swearing

reminders*: Y/N = Your Name; RM/N = Roommate’s Name (Calum’s roommate)

Calum’s POV:

As you inch closer and closer to the arrival of your first-born daughter you find yourself filled with both excitement and fear as you aren’t sure what fatherhood will look like on you. You and Y/N aren’t in the best situation, but you are trying your hardest to make things run smoothly as you don’t want to add extra stress on anyone’s life. You spend a lot of your time these days looking through baby name books and annoying RM/N. She’s nearing the end of her semester of school and you find that her studies are taking up more of her time than either of you would like to admit.

Today in particular RM/N’s head is three feet deep in her textbooks. After bugging her to the point where she seemed completely annoyed with you, you decide to head over to Y/N’s house in the hopes that she will cook you something or at least want to order take out with you. The two of you haven’t spent much time together lately as she is nesting in her apartment and you and RM/N have been spending most of your time together. You know that there was a time where Y/n and Luke were getting closer with one another, but they’ve been best friends for as long as you can remember and you really doubt that Luke had the balls to anything more than give her a peck on the cheek every now and then.

-20 minutes later-

You pull into the parking lot of Y/N’s apartment complex, your stomach already grumbling in anticipation of one of her infamous grilled cheeses. There is a small thought in the back of your mind that is worried that you might be catching Y/N at a bad time, but your hunger gets the best of you and before you know it you are parking your car and walking the all too familiar path to her apartment.

You knock on the door twice and wait for her to answer, the weight of the spare key she gave you weighing down the keyring you are currently holding. After standing awkwardly outside her door for about five minutes, you take it upon yourself to let yourself in. Normally you would’ve just assumed that she wasn’t home, but you saw her car in the parking lot, so you know she has to be inside. You feel a little bit of guilt using the spare key that she gave you, but she gave it to you for a reason. Whether this reason was similar to the reason you’re about to use it is not something you are willing to think about right now as all you’re focused on doing is seeing Y/N and eating something…and soon.

The next minute and forty-two seconds are something you wish you could forget. Moments after walking into Y/N’s apartment you realize why she wasn’t answering her front door. The bedroom door cracked open was the only indicator that someone was home. Her apartment always had this kind of chaotic nature to it. The furniture was mismatched, and the decorations jumbled, but nothing could describe Y/N more. You didn’t want to walk into her room as she was probably taking a nap, but once you heard her squealing from behind the almost closed door you decided to investigate further.

The moment you opened the door you regretted your actions. You expected to see Y/N sleeping peacefully in her bed or watching another telenovela considering her mild obsession with them, but what you actually saw was something you wish you could erase from your memory entirely. The reality of the situation is that you saw Y/N and Luke in the process of taking off each other’s pants, something you never wanted to see…ever.

The minute Y/N saw you she shrieked causing Luke to jump back and nearly give himself a concussion by knocking his head on the wall. You gave them the space and privacy they needed to compose themselves and firmly planted yourself on the couch with your head in your hands. The most alarming part of it all is that Y/N and Luke seemed so comfortable around one another. And you feel absolutely stupid for not noticing it sooner. Luke has always had a thing for Y/N and Y/N has always had a thing for Luke, you just truly didn’t think they would act on their feelings. Or at least not this soon given the circumstances.

About fourteen minutes later both Y/N and Luke come out of Y/N’s bedroom, both looking as mortified as ever. You can feel your cheeks still burning and Y/N gives you a small smile before sitting next to you on her couch. Luke excuses himself to the kitchen where you see him pouring glasses of water for the three of you. You try to break the awkward silence, but you don’t know just where exactly to begin. Luckily Y/N jumps in and starts the conversation first.

“I know I shouldn’t have given you that spare key,” Y/N laughs much to your surprise. You thought she would be as mortified as you are, and maybe she is but she definitely isn’t showing it.

“Oh, come on, you know I didn’t come here with the intention of walking in on you and curly over here…” you start, knowing that statement was way more awkward out loud than it was in your head.

“No we know Calum I’m just messing with you…from the looks of it you didn’t even know Luke and I are dating which is hilarious because everyone else we’ve told said it was way too easy to tell,” Y/N responds, smiling wider at the mention of her and Luke being together.

You were happy for her, happy for them. You know how long the both of them wanted a relationship with the other, but you can’t help but feeling a little betrayed by the whole situation. Obviously, you don’t have those kinds of feelings for Y/N, but a little part of you wanted her to have those kinds of feelings for you. And you know it is selfish you have a loving girlfriend who is supportive of everything you do an almost too cool with the whole soon to be a parent with another woman thing. But some selfish part of you wanted Y/N to have feelings for you because of the whole situation that you are in with her at the moment.

“I’m just a little surprised, that’s all. I can’t believe Luke finally grew some balls and asked you out,” you reply, unable to hold back the snarky nature of your tone.

Luke scoffs at your comment and the blush in your cheeks only seems to grow, but you try your best to not let it get to you. The three of you change the conversation to the baby and how her arrival is getting nearer with each day that passes. You can see the excitement in both Luke and Y/N’s eyes, and you would be lying to yourself if you didn’t find it kind of cute that they were tackling this together. It is actually kind of a relief. You have RM/N on your side, but you worried how Y/N was going to do on her own with your daughter.

You spend about three hours at Y/N’s place before you decide to call it a night and go home to your girlfriend who is probably still studying away. You are happy for her and Luke, truly, but the uneasy feeling is still in the pit of your stomach. Luke had so many years to make his move on Y/N, but of course he had to wait until she was kind of unavailable to actually do something about it. You know you don’t really have the room to be upset, but you can’t help it. You are jealous. Not that you want to be romantically involved with Y/N, both of you are kind of occupied in that sense, but you still are jealous.

You miss Y/N your friend and you are worried that you may never get her back. You’re worried that this whole situation, your one-night stand with her, your daughter as the result of it, everything has changed because of your one mistake. You know you should probably talk this out with someone, but Y/N is in a very emotional state because of the pregnancy and RM/N is busy with her studies and Luke certainly won’t understand. So instead you just sit in your parked car in your driveway wallowing in your own self-pity for what seems like hours.

[smoochcal]

sick day (luke blurb)

I haven’t written a random blurb in a while so I’m going to write this one :) 

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You were not feeling the best when you woke up this morning, so you decided to call in sick to work and take the day to relax and rest. You didn’t want to bother your boyfriend, Luke, with taking care of you, so you quietly made yourself a bed out of the couch in the living room. He was still sleeping as he had nowhere to be today and you could take care of yourself just fine. You poured yourself some juice and settled into the couch and spent the next couple minutes flipping through the channels until you found something that suited your interest on tv. 

You found a Disney movie that you liked and had it quietly playing as you closed your eyes and tried to fall back asleep. You know you probably could have gone back to bed to cuddle with your boyfriend, but you didn't want to wake him up and you definitely didn't want to get him sick on one of his only days off so this was your next best thing. You heard the songs of Beauty and the Beast in the background as you slowly felt your eyes flutter shut.

About an hour later you wake up to someone’s hand on your face, which made you jump up slightly. Luke was checking your forehead to feel if you had a fever, something he watched you do to him multiple times whenever he came down with the flu. You smile at the thought, sitting up a little more and greeting your boyfriend with a simple hello. You know he didn't mean to wake you up so you really couldn’t be mad that he did. You were supposed to be at work this morning and he knew that you would only stay home if you were not feeling the best. 

He kisses your forehead before moving into the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. You had always found forehead kisses super sweet, knowing that they were an act of true love. You still didn’t feel the best but the nap you took during half of the movie you were watching definitely helped. You stretched out and started flipping through channels again to pass the time. You wanted Luke to join you in the living room, but you also wanted to keep him as far away from your germs as possible. 

He came back into the living room with his coffee cup and another glass of juice for you. You smiled at the gesture, loving how he knew to take care of you. You took this small moment to appreciate Luke and everything he has ever done for you. You are so blessed to have him as your boyfriend and you truly cannot wait to spend the rest of your life with this wonderful man who is sitting across from you in his pajamas. 

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lmao this really sucks but whatever I love you el I hope you like this