#stranger things masterlist

Smut is marked with * No use of Y/N on my fics.

*The sex pollen vault

Marvel

Peter Parker

*Mask on, fuck it, mask off | sex pollen: You’re spider-man’s closest thing to a friend since the world forgot his name…all without him ever taking the mask off. His true identity has always been a barrier between you two, but what happens when he gets hit with the pollen, and not only him, but the creature lurking inside him fixates on the only person he gets to call home?

For the rest of my PP fics you can check my old masterlist. All those works are from 2019 though, and my writing has improved a lot since then so just beware 😭🤍

Johnny Storm

The Evermore Series

After an attack on the Baxter Building threatens the family, every trace of evidence points to you being a traitor. Johnny is torn between believing you, the one he’s been in love with since day one, or his own blood. And while they question your loyalty, no one knows what you’re really hiding: a secret growing inside your belly, one that has Johnny’s name written all over it.

Chapters | Completed (52k+)

1. Evermore | 2. Forevermore*

The Lover Series

Everything was perfect. Engaged to the love of your life, a wedding around the corner, days filled with love and planning forever, until…the accident. You wake up one day with no memory of Johnny, and now he has to prove that if he made you fall in love with him once, he can do it all over again.

Series Masterlist | On going (24k+)

1. Soon you'll get better | 2. Death by a Thousand Cuts | 3 | 4 |

One shots

Two Heartbeats: You agree to help Reed test his new baby scanner for Sue, so he can collect some baseline data from a non pregnant woman. But when the screen lights up with a tiny heartbeat, you realize you’ve got some crazy news to break to Johnny.

*Guilty pleasures: Johnny is your best friend’s dad. After you break up with your boyfriend, she convinces you to join her on an all paid resort trip with her father. You know he’s forbidden fruit, but after lots of longing stares, midnight beach walks, shared desserts, and a shirtless Johnny jogging along the shoreline, things get too hot between you. He wants to prove he can make your ex’s mistakes right himself, and inevitably turns into the guiltiest pleasure you could ever have.

*It’s getting hot in here (sex pollen): While analyzing space plants in Sue’s lab, you get infected with sex pollen. Johnny, hotshot, flirty as hell, and definitely not yours (yet) starts looking a little too good in those tight pants. You try to fight it, until you find yourself begging him to save you.

When Johnny met you: Johnny Storm needs a change in his life. So when he goes looking for an apartment to move out of the Baxter Building and live a “normal life”, he ends up being your roommate. As you both struggle with the highs and lows of dating in New York, through shared takeout on the living room floor and dances under the refrigerator light, you may realize what you needed has always been right in front of you…or in the room next door.

Get a Johnny!: Bad cramps don’t let you sleep. You hesitate to call Johnny because you think you’re not there with him yet, but after nothing helps, you give in. Turns out having a boyfriend with fire hot powers comes very in handy.

Enchanted to meet you: When Johnny is sent to investigate suspicious steam coming out of a sewer, he doesn’t expect a woman from another dimension to climb out of it. You look at him like he’s your knight in shining armor, and he realizes very soon you possess the ability to completely derail his life.

*The Fate of Ophelia (Vampire!Johnny Storm): One drop of your blood could bring a vampire’s cold heart back to life. It’s the kind of blood they kill for. You’ve spent your life hidden, protected, alone in your castle…until Johnny Storm came for you.  He's cocky, annoying, and imposible to ignore. A “good” vampire sent to defend your land. You’re everything he’s not allowed to want. But he looks at you like he can’t choose whether to kiss or kill you. How long until he decides which one?

Part 2. Pledge allegiance to your hands: You decide to put Johnny’s supernatural strength to good use, making him rearrange your ancient furniture, but he finds a better way to use his hands…and other things to rearrange.

*The sexy part of it: Ever since Franklin was born, Johnny’s had this peculiar feeling…baby fever. He decides he wants that for him, for you, but he doesn’t bring it up to you in a normal conversation, no, one day he just decides he needs to put a baby in you.

Baby Torch: You thought having a baby with Johnny was crazy enough, until your fourth month old flames on at 2 am. It’s scary, it’s overwhelming, but it’s also the most beautiful thing Johnny Storm has ever seen.

Ruin the Friendship: Oblivious best friend!Johnny who doesn’t realize he’s in love with you, but can’t understand why he’s so upset that you’ve been hanging out with another guy and distancing yourself from him.

Man's best friend: You thought you were dogsitting a puppy. Turns out you got handed a labrador with too much energy…who immediately tackles Johnny Storm at the park. Johnny, certified lover boy, ends up claiming fate just set you up romcom style.

Am I allowed to cry?: You read in a magazine the trend of asking your boyfriend “Am I allowed to get fries?” in front of the waitress to see his reaction, and you decide to put your very devoted, very dramatic boyfriend–who literally gives you anything you want–to the test.

Would you still love me if I was a worm: There’s nothing better than making out with Johnny, until he’s exactly where you want him: breathless, flushed and distracted just enough for you to make some silly questions.

Drabbles

Johnny loves women, Johnny loves when you wear his shirts

Dad!Johnny headcanons

Johnny + baby fever

Girl dad or boy dad?

Showing his baby the rocketship through the window.

Johnny + a baby sling

When the baby looks exactly like you

Johnny Headcanons

Rockstar!Johnny Storm

His love language

His tight shirts/clothing

John Walker

Are we out of the woods yet?: You and John Walker are nothing more than two idiots who can’t stand each other. But when a mission goes wrong and you fall through cracking ice, he does everything in his power to keep you alive.

*Come right on me—I mean, camaraderie: You can't help the inappropriate thoughts that come out of your mouth during a mission, and John has to teach you a lesson, or multiple, about it.

*Have you ever tried this one?: John had been away on a long mission. A month of nothing but his fist and filthy thoughts of you, edging himself to save it all for you. Every last drop. So when he catches you singing some dirty song about needing it deep? You get exactly what you asked for.

*Supersoldiers in Paris (sex pollen) John x reader x Bucky: Retrieving vials from an abandoned Red Room facility gets you infected with sex pollen. You may have to make a stop in Paris with John and Bucky before you can get back home.

*Short n' sweet (short!reader): You leave quite an impression, short and sweet to be exact. John is obsessed. The way he can mandhandle you. Lift you up to reach things. Cage you under his body while his hand covers your entire face.

Would you still love me if I was a worm: You hit John with a stupid question, he takes it too seriously.

Moral of the story: You never expected to be blindly sent to kill your ex-husband, but when you cross paths again in looping shame rooms, it’s like going through the pain all over again.

*Just a minute?: Walker loves to run that big mouth of his, always mocking your stamina in the field. But when you get him under you, turns out he doesn’t last that long either.

*Eyes on me: John makes you watch yourself as he plays with you in front of a mirror.

Alone in this shitty world (Bucky Barnes x reader x platonic!John Walker): After Yelena’s sudden outburst, the group scatters. And, as if this wasn’t already the weirdest day of your life, you find yourself reaching to comfort the last person you ever thought you'd feel sorry for, John Walker.

John Headcanons

John Walker + pet names/nicknames.

John Walker + singing.

Bucky Barnes

Would you still love me if I was a worm: A stupid little question turns into a heated makeout session. Your teammates hate to see it, one doesn’t

*Next door: You thought you were being quiet when you touched yourself. It wasn’t Bucky’s fault he could hear everything from his bed next door every single time. And when you moan his name out loud, he’s done pretending he doesn’t hear.

Do you know who I am? / Part 2: After breaking Zemo out of prison, Sam and Bucky try to hide him and you’re left to distract John Walker, so you take it as your chance to spit some words at the "New Captain America”.

Hold me until it hurts less: Bucky has nightmares. You have nightmares. Sometimes he helps you with yours and you help him with his.

Thunderbolts

Nothing’s gonna stop us: An attempt at homemade cookies, ridiculous requests to Valentina and a karaoke night will have you finding out you have a few hidden singers in your team.

Stranger Things

Eddie Munson

*But daddy I love him: There’s two clear rules in your house. No boys while dad isn’t home and ALWAYS keep the door open three inches. Tonight Hopper’s out late and you decide to break both, until he’s banging at your door as Eddie trips over his own clothes trying to get out alive.

*I think he knows: Eddie accidentally walks in on Steve fucking you in a WSQK storage closet. He thinks he’s doomed to a life of fantasizing over you with the only company of his right hand, until…Steve himself offers him a golden ticket straight to your bed: a threesome.

This is our year: Two years after leaving Hawkins behind to chase Eddie’s dreams in LA, you return to Indiana for Dustin’s graduation and get surprised by his speech. Later, in a wholesome reunion at the WSQK rooftop, old friendships rekindle as a small secret waits to slip out.

Merry Christmas, I miss you: Christmas hits harder since your best friend left town to chase his dreams, and hasn’t talked to you in months. As you reminisce what life was with Eddie by your side, all you can think about is calling, and telling him how much you miss him. You don’t expect him to say it back…but he ends up saying so much more.

Rubik's Cube: Eddie loves watching you getting ready. His full undivided attention is on you…until he finds a little Rubik’s cube on one of your shelves. Naturally, he just has to prove he can get it done under a minute.

Last Christmas: It’s Christmas Eve, and instead of celebrating back home, you find yourself visiting Eddie’s grave. Because last Christmas you gave him your heart, and unfortunately, he took it with him wherever souls go when they leave people behind.

Sweetheart, I would’ve drowned in melancholy: When you ask Eddie what would’ve happened if you’d never met, he says he would’ve been destined to a fate of melancholy and drowning…aka he fell in love with you, and that saved him.

Drabbles

*Not a single thought: Eddie fucks you so good sometimes you can only say “thank you”.

Eddie things: Eddie likes to collect little trinkets; bottle caps, old guitar picks, pretty rocks, pressed flowers, to give them to you.

Not a big deal: Eddie thought birthdays weren’t that important, until you said yours wasn’t, and suddenly it’s all he cares about.

Eddie Headcanons

Steve Harrington

*I think he knows: Eddie accidentally walks in on Steve fucking you in a WSQK storage closet. He thinks he’s doomed to a life of fantasizing over you with the only company of his right hand, until…Steve himself offers him a golden ticket straight to your bed: a threesome.

Don't you, Stevie?: Steve’s packing, you’ve known–and enjoyed it–for years. No one else needs to know that, but that becomes a problem when you can’t seem to keep your mouth shut about it…and Robin doesn’t help either.

For Good: Steve and you had history together…and then Eddie happened. As your “best friend”, you waited for Steve to care. He waited for you to let him in. Neither of you moved on. Now, months of grief and guilt explode in one awful fight that might break you for good.

The Pitt

Jack Abbot

Gorgeous: You’ve been secretly losing your mind over Dr. Abbot for months. One slip on ice later, and your giant crush on the night attending becomes everyone’s business thanks to a concussion and a mouth that won’t stop calling him gorgeous.

The Great War: Years after your separation, life throws you back into Jack Abbot’s orbit in the worst way possible, carrying a devastating diagnosis that could be the reason your marriage fell apart in the first place: a tumor that may had erased the part of you that fell in love with him all those years back. And he’s not ready to lose you twice.

Part 2 - Morning Glory: After Jack learns about a tumor in your head, all the old bitterness of your separation stops mattering. Now he’s chasing surgeons across the country as he watches the woman he still loves slip further away. But what terrifies him the most, is the relentless, exhausting, yet beautiful war of choosing you everyday, even when you keep unintentionally hurting him.

*I can see you: New city, new hospital, new job. You give yourself one last day to be free before your first shift, and happy hour ends with a stranger on your bed. The real problem starts the next morning, when he shows up in the same ED answering to “Dr. Abbot.”

Baby Jane Abbot Series

Baby Jane Abbot: After deciding to foster Baby Jane Doe, the Abbot household faces a sleepless afternoon. As Jack rocks her back to sleep, you both realize the word “foster” starts to feel less like a temporary label.

Poppy: Years after adopting baby Jane Doe, you get a call from Robby telling you about another abandoned child at PTMC. The news brings the past painfully close, and your daughter starts questioning you about her own story.

Series drabbles

First birthday

Michael Robby Robinavitch

Sunshine & midnight rain: Robby has convinced himself that a lake house, his lifelong dream, would be wasted on a man with no free time and no one to share it with. You, a bright new resident might be the person to finally make him believe he deserves it.

DC

Clark Kent

Some of these are on my side blog @404superman, go check it out!

*Sex pollen: When Clark gets poisoned with sex pollen, he tries everything in his power to stay away from you. Until he ends up crashing into your living room, and you have a god on his knees, with your name in his mouth and your body at his will.

*The necklace: You get Clark a silly little gift, a necklace with his ‘superman’ logo on it. He loves it when you bite it while he’s on top of you.

Soft boyfriend Clark

Check my old masterlist here. For characters like Peter Parker, Steve Rogers, Thor, and Loki.

ꕀ﹒　LUCAS SINCLAIR. ₊ 𐂯

last-minute plans.

the party flakes on plans, and lucas realizes waiting isn’t so bad when it’s with you.

ꕀ﹒　MIKE WHEELER. ₊ 𐂯

holding out for a wheeler.

after years of secretly loving mike you finally move on and date someone new, only to discover that mike has a problem with him, and suddenly everything you thought was over isn’t.

sorry it’s a mess.

after leaving hawkins on bad terms with mike, you move on with your life, only to discover months too late that he did try to reach you.

brainfreeze.

you’re convinced mike hates you so naturally you make it your mission to figure out why.

maui wowie.

with hawkins on lockdown and literally nothing to do, will is stuck in the wheeler basement being bored out of his mind. jonathan notices and offers a solution.

all uniforms are evil. —- part two. part three.

mike is certain all cheerleaders are evil until one sticks around long enough to ruin his perfectly cynical worldview.

the long way around.

mike’s habit of being mad for you finally gets called out, and what starts as awkward damage control turns into a confession he absolutely did not plan to make.

matthew was a mistake.

you and mike get in a fight, kiss about it, pretend it never happened, and then avoid each other for two months like mature, well-adjusted people. prom forces a reunion, and mike learns that ignoring someone does not make them stop mattering—especially when they bring a date.

i could’ve been her lighthouse.

since el’s presumed death, mike has been avoiding food, people, and the concept of tomorrow, so you show up with a plate and a refusal to leave.

room for two.

exhaustion drives you to hide from the world, but mike always insists on keeping you company. AKA emotional support boyfriend refuses to disengage.

boyfriend down!

trapped with your catastrophically dramatic, fever-warm boyfriend who insists he’s dying. AKA man experiences the common cold and loses all resolve.

ꕀ﹒　ROBIN BUCKLEY. ₊ 𐂯

so gay.

robin gets steve to do her gay reconnaissance work, which mostly involves him asking questions about movies and boobs and learning nothing useful.

ꕀ﹒　STEVE HARRINGTON. ₊ 𐂯

not all who wander are steve.

steve harrington survives monsters, russian labs, and interdimensional horrors, but one night in your doghouse is completely unbearable.

open wound.

you got an extremely minor injury and now steve’s in crisis mode.

ꕀ﹒　SHIPS ノ BYLER ₊ 𐂯

palms against the jamb.

robin’s blunt honesty forces will to confront what he’s always avoided: the truth about his heart. will begins to understand that courage starts within, not in reciprocation.

UPDATED 1/15/2025.

  ⸝⸝  blog  .ᐟ  𝜗𝜚

©️ latedeparture

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•• Meet the Characters: Starlight Studios Executives

•• Meet the Characters: Starlight Studios Interns

•• Meet the Characters: Lennox Studios Crew

ㅤ♡ ㅤ♡ ㅤ♡

•• Prologue

•• Chapter One: New Girl

•• Chapter Two: Too Many Excuses

•• Chapter Three: Make it Right

•• Chapter Four: Dinner

•• Chapter Five: Professional

•• Chapter Six: Competitive

•• Chapter Seven: Work Trip

•• Chapter Eight: Deep Conversations

•• Chapter Nine: A New Perspective

•• Chapter Ten: Surprise

•• Chapter Eleven: Fancy

•• Chapter Twelve: First Date

•• Chapter Thirteen: Secret

•• Chapter Fourteen: Caught

•• Chapter Fifteen: Vacation

•• Chapter Sixteen: Forgiveness

•• Chapter Seventeen: Party

•• Chapter Eighteen: Halloween

•• Chapter Nineteen: Winter Wonderland

•• Chapter Twenty: Flowers

•• Epilogue

STATUS: COMPLETE

The first time you hear about the missing Hellfire player, it’s not from Eddie Munson. It’s from your boyfriend.

You find him between first and second period, pacing near his locker like he’s in distress, hair frizzing under his hat.

“This is ridiculous! He’s really gonna ditch our campaign for basketball, huh?” Dustin groans, clutching his binder.

“Dustin,” you say, half laughing, “it’s the championship. Lucas can’t miss that.”

“I know he can’t,” he sighs, but it means we’re down a player for the biggest campaign of the semester. Eddie’s gonna flip!”

“And?”

“And we need a sub, and no one wants to be part of the ‘satanic cult’.” He air-quotes, mocking the crowd who call it such.

You raise an eyebrow at him, a silent gesture to continue. 

“Max is a hard no. I practically begged Steve. You know how that turned out. I’m out of options here. Me and Mike have been scraping the bottom of the barrel to find someone.”

You hide a smile. “I can think of one more person you could ask.”

Dustin gives you a look halfway between hope and horror. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Why not?” you tease, nudging his shoulder. “I’ve listened to you explain every campaign for months. Spells, traps, the whole deal. I could probably keep up. Plus, I’m benched from cheer at this weeks because of screwing up my ankle in practice last week, so I’d just be rotting at home.”

“Because, babe,” he says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “you’re… you. My social butterfly. You’re too cool for Hellfire.”

You laugh out loud. “Wow. Thanks for believing in me, Dust. But you know I’ve wanted to play with you guys for a while now, I just haven’t gotten the time.”

He flushes. “That’s not what I meant! I just- ugh, Eddie’s got this whole… Eddie thing going on. He’s not gonna go easy on you.”

“I don’t want him to go easy on me. I can hold my own, Dustin, I’m on the cheer team, some of those girls are brutal.”

The bell rings. Dustin grabs your hand quick, giving it a squeeze. You flash him a grin and head to class. But the thought sticks in your head the whole morning. By lunch, it’s an itch you can’t shake, so when you see Eddie hovering over the Hellfire table, you march straight over.

──────────────────────────

Eddie Munson dominates the back-left table like he was born on stage, recounting a battle scene for a table of wide-eyed freshmen. When you approach, the room seems to tilt its attention your way. The cafeteria seems to notice too, because why were you, of all people, standing next to Eddie Munson?

“Hey,” you say casually, fidgeting with the strap of your bag.

Eddie’s voice cuts mid-sentence. He glances up with his mop of curls, smile halfway caught between suspicion and amusement. “Can I help you?”

“Yeah.” You shift your weight. “You’re Eddie, right? You run Hellfire?”

“I plead guilty, your honour.”

“Cool. I heard you needed a sub for Friday because of the championship game, and Lucas is out.”

There’s a flicker of disbelief that washes over his face. He blinks once, then leans back in his chair with a slow grin. “I’m sorry, you heard what now?”

“That you’re down a player,” you say, trying to sound confident. “I thought maybe I could fill in.”

He snorts before he can stop himself. “You? Play Dungeons & Dragons?”

There’s laughter from table. You meet his eyes, unflinching. “Is that funny?”

“Just… unexpected,” he says, grin tugging wider as he looks at your cheer uniform. “No offence, but this club’s for freaks, not… whatever this is.” He waves to your uniform.

“I didn’t realize you had a dress code.” You lift a brow.

That shuts him up for half a second. “What, you’re serious?”

“As I’ll ever be,” you say, not missing a beat.

He lets out another laugh, but it softens a bit this time.

“Okay, sure, princess. Hellfire meets at five in the drama room. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

You just smile and turn to leave.

Eddie watches you walk away, leaving him staring at your back, shaking his head in disbelief. “She’s kidding,” he mutters. “She has to be kidding.”

──────────────────────────

Eddie’s standing in the hallway outside the drama room when familiar voices catch his attention.

“…Yeah, she was acting super weird,” Dustin looks at Mike, voice low but carrying. “We talked this morning and she seemed pretty eager to fill in. But when I was talking to her earlier, she was short with me and said she was busy. So then I called her mom-”

Mike interrupts. “Wait, you called her mom?”

“-and her mom said she didn’t have plans! She’s always wanted to play with us, man, she just never has time between cheer and everything.”

Eddie freezes. Wait. A popular girl. Acting weird about D&D. Eager to sub, but suddenly busy. His brain stutters, then slams the pieces together. No fucking way.

He steps into the doorway, trying for casual. “Hold up,” he says. “Who are you two talking about?”

Dustin blinks. “Uh… nobody. Just-”

“Spill, Henderson.” Eddie presses, grin masking the sudden embarrassment creeping up his neck. 

Dustin exhales. “My girlfriend.”

Mike elbows him. “The cheerleader.”

Eddie’s stomach drops. The cheerleader. Princess Hawkins. The one he laughed at.

“Oh, Jesus H. Christ! You’ve got to be kidding me,” he mutters, dragging a hand through his hair. “That’s your girlfriend? That’s the same girl who asked me to sub earlier today!”

Dustin straightens. “She asked you? When?”

Eddie grimaces. Shit. “At lunch in the Cafeteria. You two freaks weren’t there. I thought she was joking.”

“Oh, my god,” Dustin groans, dragging a hand down his face. “You laughed at her, didn’t you?”

“I...” Eddie hesitates, guilt twisting sharp. “A little?”

Mike stifles a laugh behind his fist. Dustin, not so much. 

“Dude!” he blurts. “She probably thinks you hate her now!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault she looked like someone who grades dice on how much it sparkles!” Eddie defends, but it lands weaker than usual. Damn it. He’d assumed she was pranking him. Now he realizes she was serious and he’d just embarrassed Dustin’s girlfriend.

Dustin glares at him, “She’s always wanted to play with us, man! But between school and cheer and everything else she does, she never has time!”

Eddie raises his hands. “Fine, fine. I owe her an apology. She still coming tonight?”

Dustin shakes his head. “Doubt it. She told me she was busy, even though I know better than that.”

──────────────────────────

You meant to go. You really did. But having to look at Eddie Munson after he laughed in your face is something you didn’t particularly look forward to.

It wasn’t particularly the embarrassment, though that was pretty up there. It was deeper than that, how everyone at Hawkins has you pegged as just a popular girl who existed only for the social ladder. No layers or personality. No interests beyond pompoms, parties, and whatever drama could be stirred up that week.

Like you couldn’t possibly love books, or music, or the way Dustin’s eyes lit up mid-rant. Like how D&D, a world you’ve pieced together through a hundred stories from your boyfriend, was off limits because it didn’t fit in the script everyone else wrote for you.

So when Dustin calls later that night, you tell him you’ve been busy studying. Which isn’t technically a lie as you did open a book. You just haven’t turned the page in twenty minutes.

“Busy?” he says suspiciously through the phone. “Your mom said you-.”

You groan. “You called my mom?”

“I panicked!” he defends. Then, softer: “You sure you’re okay?”

You hesitate, chewing your lip. The words bubble up before you can swallow them. “…No. Not really.”

Silence crackles on the line. “What happened?”

“Eddie laughed at me,” you admit, quieter now. “In the cafeteria. Like it was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. And it’s not even that. It’s… everyone looks at me like I’m some airhead. No brains, no hobbies. Like I couldn’t possibly get your stupid dice game because it doesn’t match the ‘popular girl’ bullshit they all expect.”

Dustin sucks in a breath. “Holy shit. Hun, that’s not- Eddie’s an idiot, okay? And screw what everyone else thinks.You’re the smartest person I know, and it’s not just the grades that prove that. You’ve been grilling me on campaigns for months! Asking about spells, arguing over trap mechanics. You’d kill at Hellfire.”

Your throat tightens, a little laugh slipping out despite the ache. “You think?”

“I know.” A pause, then fierce: “Don’t let them, or him, make you feel small. You belong wherever you damn well want.”

You smile into the receiver, warmth seeping through the line. “When’d you get so good at this?”

“Learned from the best,” he says, soft and sure. “Next week. Come with me. Prove ‘em all wrong?”

You exhale, decision settling like a perfect roll. “Yeah. Okay. I’m in.”

“Atta girl.” His grin’s audible. 

“Who covered Lucas tonight, by the way?” You ask.

“Erica. She’s a beast. We only won ‘cause of her.”

Real laugh now, tension cracking. “No way. I knew she had a secret nerd side. Love that for her.”

“So do you, and I love that about you,” he murmurs. “No ifs, ands, or buts. See you Friday.”

“Fine. You’ve twisted my arm.”

──────────────────────────

The room goes silent the second you walk in. The conversation halts, and everyone darts their eyes over to you. The only sound left is the faint hum of the radiator in the room.

“Hey,” you say casually, despite your pulse hammering in your throat. “Heard you needed a sub again this week.”

Dustin’s face lights up like Christmas. “Told ya she’d show!”

Eddie blinks a couple of times, then he grins. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“Still an open invitation, right?” you ask.

He gestures at the chair diagonal from him, kicking it out from the table with the toe of his shoe. “Sure is, princess. Let’s see if you have what it takes.”

You’re hooked before you realize it. Leaning over the table, improvising your own dialogue. Every dramatic thing Eddie throws your way makes the story sharper, drawing you in. It’s your first real game, so you did fumble a few times.

But then Eddie leans in, voice dropping low and gravelly: “Dustin's bard's about to get chomped.” The table holds its breath. You blurt, heart slamming, “Perception check? I... check it?”

“D20, princess. Roll for your boy's life.” Eddie's eyes glint over his DM book.

Your fingers fumble the die. It spins wild across the table, bouncing before it rattles to a stop. 20. Bold black numbers staring at the ceiling.

Dustin leaps to his feet, shouting, “YES! That’s my girl! SUCK IT, Munson!”

You laugh so hard your stomach aches.

Eddie, meanwhile, hides behind his screen, grinning into his hands. “Did not expect that,” he admits under his breath. “Did not see that coming.”

You grin, breathless. “Glad I could prove you wrong.”

Dustin beams. “Told you she was good."