Gareth Emerson - Tumblr Posts

I need an 80s sitcom of Steve and Robin working at Family Video. The kids pop in out, but not as much as Eddie. And I need Eddie to be like Zach Morris, where he freezes everything and talks to the audience. But all he does is talk about how good Steve looks. Eventually, the audience starts groaning, and then an audience member speaks up.

"If I have to hear about his ass one more time!" The guy exclaimed.

"Who the hell invited you?" Eddie yelled.

"You did, asshole! What the hell is this anyway?! How are you freezing them?"

Turns out it was Gareth and the rest of Corroded Coffin sitting in the audience.

I'm cackling at the comments like a madman

Hear me out

Fans latching onto Steve as the odd mascot for Corroded Coffin

BUT the band lean into it, putting Steve on all the album covers. Just normal guy Steve in an apocalyptic wasteland. Normal guy Steve in a graveyard. Normal guy Steve with his hands on his hips staring disapprovingly at a lich

Hes always in his yellow sweater and the fans love it and start cosplaying him or cutting out his picture and adding it to other bands album covers where he looks just as ridiculous

Bonus points if it all starts before Steve and Eddie are even dating and having Steve as their mascot is the best excuse Eddie's gonna get to keep him around more

Gareth Emerson is trans nonbinary because I'm trans nonbinary and I said so.

I mean,,, LOOK AT THEM???

interruptions- gareth emerson

gareth emerson x fem!munson!reader

summary: eddie walks in on his sister and his best friend having !sex!

warnings: mention of sex, but no genuine smut, cursing

you had to be kidding. eddie looked at you and gareth in complete surprise and disgust. one of his best friends sitting in his little sister's bed. it was a horrendous sight to see for the poor boy. him shutting the door and consistently screaming "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK" at you two as he left.

you were completely embarrassed. eddie had caught you and gareth in the middle of fucking. literally could have been the worst time for your older brother to walk in the house. in his perspective, he just wanted to ask you if you wanted to hang out. but you had.... other plans. and he was traumatized.

gareth was just as embarrassed as you, maybe even more than you. he didn't expect his best friend to walk in on him literally fucking his sister. he was so embarrassed that tears were pricking in his eyes. after eddie shut the door, gareth immediately pulled out and laid down. hiding his face in your neck.

you held his head and tried to stop the tears that were coming out. you weren't sobbing you just had some small tears from being scared and embarrassed. you looked at gareth. he was literally terrified, also not to mention utterly embarrassed.  

you could hear the small sniffles coming from him. you felt horrible. you kissed his head and he slightly pulled away. his eyes were slightly red from the tears. you had never seen him cry. sure you had seen gareth upset or embarrassed but you had never seen him cry. knowing that stroking his hair calmed him down you immediately put your hand on his head. stroking his hair as he wrapped his arms around you.

"hey it's okay, if eddie has a problem with us that's his fault," you whispered.

you shimmied your body helping yourself turn to look at your boyfriend. one hand still in his hair, the other now holding his face. your thumb rubbing away the extra tears that fell from his eyes. he nodded, complete putty in your hands. you motioned for him to sit up. knowing that you two would need to brave up and confront eddie, the hell-raising older brother. gareth sat up but didn't move and neither did you. you looked at your feet, completely nervous and hiding your body with your knees to your chest. gareth didn't take his eyes off of you. the tears had stopped after you pet his hair. he may have been a big baby when it came to you but if he needed to protect your relationship you two had tried so hard to keep a secret he would do anything.

thanks to eddie shutting your door gareth had felt confident enough to put his clothes on. and find you some new ones since the others were nowhere to be found. he grabbed one of his old t-shirts you had stolen, along with a pair of your sweatpants, and some new panties. after putting his clothes on he helped you get up. you put on your clothes and immediately after, gareth snatched you up in a hug. yes, he was scared to talk to eddie about your relationship but he knew you were even more scared than he'd ever be.

you two stood there for a little while longer. this time it was your turn to cry. you didn't believe a single thing you had told gareth. you would have a big problem if eddie had a problem that you and his best friend were in a relationship. the guilt sank in. you were full-on sobbing. your head in gareth's chest as he held you. mumbling small words and phrases. one of his hands started rubbing your back. trying to calm you down. small kisses were placed on the crown of your head.

"hey, hey, y/n it's okay. as you said if eddie has a problem with us being together that's his problem and there's nothing stopping us" he said to you.

"it's just-" you choked a sob out.

"it's just what baby?" he asked

"he's my big brother, your best friend" you sobbed.

"and what about it? there's absolutely nothing and no one in this world that would stop me from loving you," he said.

you couldn't help but try to smile. it was hard though. he had the confidence you just had. if you were to ask him if he was scared he'd put on a tough guy facade and tell you no, and you knew it. but what you didn't know was that he didn't care if he was scared. he loved you. and that's what was helping him stay strong.

"it's just eddie sweetheart, he's gonna be okay," he smiled at you.

you nodded. wiping the stray tears. your sobs dying down to just some occasional sniffles. gareth moved his hands to your face. his big thumbs wiping the tears. you looked into his big green eyes. they were full of love. love for you. he looked right back at you. the smallest but comforting smile on his face. he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours. moving in sync for a few seconds.

as you two pulled away he immediately pecked your face. peppering you with kisses. small giggles erupted from you both. he was trying so hard not to move his lips down to somewhere else. but your childlike giggles were music to his ears.

there was a loud knock on your bedroom door startling you two. you knew who it was. it was eddie. the only other person in the house, though he wasn't supposed to be. the embarrassment sinking back into you. gareth looked right at you. you were cemented to the ground. he let you go, but you grabbed his hand and followed him. gaining some confidence. you knew you had to. you couldn't let gareth do all the talking. he would crumble. and his ego was already broken, due to eddie walking in on you two at your most vulnerable state.

gareth opened the door. eddie looking just as embarrassed and uncomfortable as you. eddie peeked in to look at you. you peered at him around gareth's arm. the comfort of his body shielding you.

"you uh, you wanna talk," eddie asked.

"kinda have to man" gareth spoke up.

you all walked to the living room. you couldn't speak. you hardly even wanted to move. the anxiety making it hard to even breathe. your feet padding across the hardwood in the kitchen. eddie had already planted himself onto the couch. looking at gareth as he sat down beside him. now they were both looking at you as you slowly (but surely) made your way to where they were. you sat on the floor. not knowing where to sit since both boys were on the couch.

"so uhm, why didn't you tell me. i mean I'm now permanently scarred" eddie looked at you and gareth.

"didn't want you to be mad" you mumbled.

if they were being honest they weren't expecting you to speak. but nonetheless, gareth was proud of you. he knew you could do it. face your older brother and tell him the truth. no matter how hard it would be. gareth reached down to grab you and pull you to the couch. you now being sat in between your brother and boyfriend.

"if you two would have told me I wouldn't be mad. just would have had to have a talk with gareth." he stated.

the anxiety still there in all of you but slowly going away as you heard him say that. you nodded squeezing gareth's hand. him smiling. you leaned into his shoulder. eddie looked at the both of you. he seemed happy, still uncomfortable at what happened that made you three have the talk, but still happy to see his little sister find someone. he could tell just by looking at you two now that you loved each other.

"I'm happy for you y/n, you know out of anyone at hawkins you found a good one." eddie smiled.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner man," gareth said.

eddie nodded, knowing what could have gone through your heads. if he was being honest he had hidden some relationships from you, so he knew it wouldn't be fair on him to be mad at you. he was slightly uncomfortable at knowing that you two were having sex, but still nonetheless happy for you. he knew gareth would treat you properly.

"I don't really wanna see yall do that again so next time, leave a note, warn me ahead of time that would be really fucking great," eddie said.

you and gareth laughed at eddie. nodding and telling him that you would most definitely let him know so this didn't happen again. eddie then got up and told you that he was leaving and that you two could carry one with it.

gareth looked at you, making you look at him. a small smirk formed on his lips and you rolled your eyes. he was immediately in the mood again but you were still slightly embarrassed. he leaned in for a kiss, you granting him permission but swiftly pulling away a few second after.

"can we just watch movies for the rest of the night, I'm kinda tired" you muttered earning a sheepish smile from gareth.

he nodded and pecked your cheek. knowing that you were exhausted from the good cry you had and the embarrassment. he didn't want to push anything onto you, especially sex. you got up and he soon followed. you two picked out a movie to watch and put it into the VHS player. gareth grabbed the blanket that he bought for you and you both situated yourselves on the couch. all you two wanted to do was be wrapped up and cuddling the night away.

I'm writing a one shot for ao3 right now that's original female character/Gareth

And I'm almost done with it

I'm genuinely excited

It all takes place within a larger fic I'm writing.

With that one I'm writing like three or four stranger things fanfic with steve/ofc, eddie/ofc, and gareth/ofc.

It'll be like one of those choose your dating Sim like things that all start the same but changes once you pick the person

So the first few chapters will be the same until a certain point

Guys

I have a dilemma

Do I have jim hopper 'die' ( taken by the russians) or leave him alive? This also might be what keeps the bryers in town vs them leaving for California but I do want argyle so

DOES NOBODY ELSE LIKE GARETH!? LOOK AT HIM

(Edit: I clicked the wrong fkking file but im not fixing it)

I would have been WATCHING this man at lunch holy shit

STOP IT I LOVE HIM SM. MY BB

Too Late - Six

summary: You’ve always secretly pined over Eddie Munson, your best friend, but when you find out he’s dating Chrissy Cunningham, you reach your breaking point. you seek comfort from Gareth, your second best friend. you figure out he’s got a crush, but you don’t know who, you were determined to figure it out though. but he was determined to keep his feelings for you locked away forever. but plans change, right?

too late masterlist - find next chapter there :)

Monday rolled around pretty fast. You went straight to bed after getting home Saturday night, sleeping in his shirt that you stole… not without a quick session with your vibrator. You slept in on Sunday, till about one pm. Your mum was not happy. You called Chrissy and updated her on the events of the night before. She was over the moon excited for you. There was no progress with Eddie, in fact, he hadn't picked up the phone when she tried to call him all weekend. He hadn't called you either. But now, it was Monday morning, and you found yourself rushing to get ready in time for Gareth to pick you up. You pulled on your jeans, a band tee on, and your leather jacket. You tied your hair up into a high pony, something you don’t do very often at all, but Chrissy was rubbing off on you. You heard a honk out the front, and grabbed your backpack and rushed out. You walked up to his car, and he was already standing with the passenger door open for you. You rolled your eyes with a smirk. 

“Gotta keep my gentlemanly streak up, darling.” 

You shook your head, “You’re gentlemanly enough without holding my door open,” you cupped his cheek with your hand softly, bringing your face closer to his to give him a little good morning peck, “but thank you.”

He grinned, blushing a lot, “You’re welcome.” He shut the door and found his way into the car. 

“So…” you hummed, the awkwardness settling into the air, “how are you?”

He smiled, “I’m okay… how are you?”

“Good.” you nodded, “Yeah, good.” 

“That’s good.” he hummed. 

And there was silence. A long, long silence. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Though, what’s a new relationship with your longtime best friend without a little awkwardness, right? He pulled into the school parking lot, and brought the car to a stop. Both of you sat there for a while, stealing awkward glances at one another every now and then. 

“Should we go in-” He started. 

“Why is it so awkward?” You finally asked, “It wasn’t on Saturday.” 

His shoulders sank, thankful you had the guts to bring it up, “I don’t know.” 

“It’s stupid.” you hummed, “You’ve always been my most comfortable person, all it took was one date to make everything awkward? Doesn’t sit right with me.”

He smiled teasingly, “I’m your most comfortable person?”

You playfully punched his shoulder, “Not the point.” 

He smiled, “Well, I don’t really know.”

“I guess I’m just… nervous.” you shrugged, “The reality of it finally settling in, maybe?”

“That makes sense.” He nodded.

“It shouldn’t be awkward.” 

“No.” he laughed, shaking his head, “Definitely not. A little anxiety inducing, maybe… but not awkward.” 

You snorted, “Yeah, terrifying even.”

“Yup.” he nodded, “Okay, well, we just won’t let it get awkward, okay?” 

“Yeah.” you smiled, “Wanna go inside? Class is gonna start soon.”

“Yeah, let’s go.” 

—————————————————————————

You passed Chrissy in the halls after the second period. You shared a happy wave and a sweet smile, doing a little flash with your matching jackets. Some of her friends gave the two of you weird looks, but you were used to it, and she didn’t care. It was now midway through lunch, and you were sitting in Eddie’s spot since he didn’t show up to school. Part of you wanted to call him, to tell him to get his ass here and actually graduate. But you wouldn’t let yourself… you had told him he lost you, and you were going to make good on that. You were immersed in a deep debate with the rest of Hellfire over your predictions for the next Starwars film, your fingers loosely intertwined with Gareth’s under the table. You both were never big on public displays of affection, that was a fact you both knew and didn’t need to discuss. Anytime you saw couples kissing or being overly clingy at school you would both grimace and say ‘not at school’ or, ‘we get it, your in love, get a fucking room’. So a secret hand hold under the table was the right move. You hadn’t actually told any of your friends about your new relationship, not that you didn’t want to, it’s just that it was strange to bring up. Though, you were both hinting at it, talking flirtatiously and sitting unusually closer than normal, trying to get one of them to ask. Jeff saw you kiss, and he knew about Gareth's feelings, as did Grant, but they knew nothing more. Chrissy walked over to your table, dragging a seat over from the next table to sit next to you. The table fell silent, unsure of why she was there without Eddie. She didn’t notice their change in demeanour, or just chose to ignore it. 

“Hi.” She smiled, pumping her eyebrows and looking between you and Gareth. 

“Hi.” you smiled sheepishly, Gareth blushed. 

He leant over to whisper in your ear, “Did you tell her about Saturday night?” 

You whispered back, “I’ve told her about more than just Saturday night.” you winked at him, and he blushed even more. 

“So…” She wiggled her head, “do-”

“Sorry, I hate to be rude,” Dustin said, “Of course you're welcome at Hellfire, but I’m just wondering why you're here?” 

“Oh,” she turned, noticing all the confused looks on the boys faces, “I’m here for Y/N.” 

“Y/N?” Dustin raised an eyebrow and looked over to you. 

“Yes.” you nodded, showing off your matching jackets, “She’s my friend.” 

“Woah,” Mike let slip, “Your best friends with the guys your in love withs girlfriend.” 

“That’s not-” You tried to say. 

“Hey man!” Dustin snapped, “I trusted you with that.”

“You told Dustin?” Gareth turned to you, dropping your hand.

“No-” you turned to the boy, “you knew?”

“Only because it was obvious.” he blushed and turned to Chrissy, “Sorry-”

“I know.” She smiled. 

“Wait-” Grant sat back in his chair, “You like Eddie?”

“No-” you tried to interject, and you could see the falter in Gareth’s energy out of the corner of your eye. 

“But why’d you kiss Gareth if you love Eddie.” Jeff leant on the table, “Seriously, if your gonna fuck with his feeling-”

“You kissed Gareth?” Lucas interjected. 

“What?” Mike asked. 

“When?” Dustin spoke up. 

“On her birthday.” Gareth huffed, slumping down in his chair. 

“Wait-” Jeff shook his head, “So you kissed twice?”

“Yes-” you tried to explain yourself, but were cut off, again.

“He said it was nothing.” Jeff continued, “Nothing to worry about, but it happened twice?”

“Yes-”

“Can we go back to you being in love with Eddie?” Grant pressed. 

“No-”

“Yeah,” Lucas nodded, “Why?”

“How long?” Mike asked. 

“No guys-” you tried again, now you were just getting frustrated. 

“As long as we've been here at least.” Dustin scoffed. 

“Well-”

“So why did you kiss Gareth?” Mike asked. 

“That’s what I want to know?” Jeff glared at you, “Because he really, really likes you-”

“I know that-” Your cheeks began to turn red with anger. 

“No, no-” Grant shook his head again, “Back to Eddie. Is that why he’s acting like a dick? Did you tell him?”

“No!” You sighed, “I-”

“So, how long have you been into him?” Grant asked. 

“That’s not-” 

“Since middle school.” Gareth's voice was low, he looked at the floor as he spoke, clearly discouraged, “She’s been in love with him since middle school.”

You looked at Gareth, furrowing your eyebrows. He didn’t look back at you. 

“Gareth-”

“Wait,” Grant interrupted again, “And Chrissy is okay with it?” 

“Yes.” she nodded, “We talked about-”

“We still don’t know why you kissed Gareth.” Jeff pressed. 

“Because he-”

“You better not be using him-”

“Shut up!” you shouted, slamming your hands down on the table, tears threatening to spill from your eyes, “Can you please all just shut the fuck up?” you sighed, “You keep asking me questions and then talking before I can answer them.” 

“Sorry…” Dustin replied sheepishly. 

You turned to Gareth taking his hand, but he pulled it away, his eyes glassy as he looked at you. You wanted to cry. 

“I don’t love Eddie.” You turned back to the table, “I did love him, in the past. No, I didn’t tell him. Yes, Chrissy knows, but she is okay with it. She knows I don’t love him anymore.” 

“Right-” Jeff tried to speak. 

“You sure?” Gareth looked up at you, “You're always sitting in his spot these days.” 

“Gareth,” you sighed, “I told you on Saturday that I definitely am over him. I wouldn’t lie to you.” 

“But obviously you wouldn’t want me to know if you did-”

“So, we still don't-” Grant interjected. 

“Shut up, Grant.” Gareth spat and turned back to you. 

“I’d still be honest about it.”

“I don’t know-”

“Gar Bear, if I still-”

“Can I just-” Mike cut in.

“No, you can't.” you seethed, your tone softening when you spoke to Gareth again, “If I still loved him, I would either tell you, or I would just not bring him up. I wouldn't let the thought get in your head, I definitely wouldn’t lie about it.” 

“But it’s Eddie.” He shrugged, “He’s-”

“So, where is Eddie?” Grant asked again, your nostrils flared, “Is he skipping because of this-”

“Grant, I swear to god.” you glared at him.

He sank down in his seat, “Sorry.”

Gareth sighed, “Forget it.”

“No.” you pressed, “I’m not gonna for-”

“So why-” Jeff spoke again. 

And holy fuck you were enraged, “Can you just shut up and let me have a fucking conversation with my boyfriend for fucks sake.” you glared at him, grabbing the edge of the table with both hands, knuckles turning white. 

The table fell silent. 

“Boyfriend?” Jeff quirked an eyebrow. 

“Yes. boyfriend.” You sighed and turned back to Gareth, grabbing his hand softly, “You are my boyfriend. Eddie is not. Eddie is nothing. I want you, not him.” 

You both ignored the chatter and questions that flew your way from the Hellfire boys, both just staring at each other longingly. You shuffled your chair a little closer, reaching a hand out to cup his cheek, sweeping under his jaw and lifting his chin slightly. 

“We can talk more privately about this later if you want, but Gareth,” you smiled, “I told you the other night, I’m all yours.” 

His eyes diverted from yours for a moment, “You sure?”

“One thousand percent.” you pressed your other hand to his cheek, “You're so much better for me.” 

He relaxed a little, “Really?”

You nodded, “You make me feel seen.”

You both thought back to that party where you had first met Chrissy. You thought about how you came crying to him, begging for someone to notice you. And now you knew he did, and he had all along. You wished you had just seen him sooner. 

“I really just don’t want to lose you to him.” He sighed. 

“You're not gonna.” you smirked, “The only person you could possibly lose me too would be Bon Jovi, and I don’t see that happening any time soon.” 

He laughed, “Okay, good.”

You pressed your forehead against his, “I know this is very hypocritical of me, but I want to give you a kiss right now.”

He smiled, “In the cafeteira? With everyone watching? Y/N, you are acting very hypocritical indeed.” 

You giggled. 

“But hey,” He bumped his nose against yours, “I said I would do anything you asked. So ask me.”

“Can I kiss you in the cafeteria? Just this once, I promise it will never happen again.”

He laughed and nodded, “Of course you can, idiot.”

 You smiled and pressed a soft kiss to your lips. You pulled back, and he kissed your nose softly. He grabbed your hand again, fingers loosely locked underneath the table and he immediately resumed the Starwars debate as if nothing had happened. The boys tried to fire more questions your way, but he just brushed them off and kept talking about his Laya theory. You smiled and turned to Chirssy. 

“Sorry about that.” 

She smiled, “Never mind,” She shook her head, “At least your arguments are about things worth arguing over. Unlike my friends arguing over whose scrunchie is more valuable.”

“Are you kidding?” you raised an eyebrow. 

“Unfortunately, I am not.” 

You mouthed the word ‘wow’ and looked over to the table of Cheerleaders. 

“I needed to escape.”

“Fair enough.” you smiled. 

“So…” She smiled, dropping her voice to a whisper, “You think your gonna do stuff with him soon?”

You blushed a little, your hand squeezing his tightly, “I don’t know, maybe. He’s like, really good at kissing.”

She giggled, “Oh, a man that knows what he’s doing. That’s always good.” 

“Yeah but…” you leant a little closer to her, to make sure no one else overheard, “He said he’s always so awkward with girls, and he’s never actually done anything other than make out.” 

“Oh…” she thought for a moment, “Good practice?”

You shrugged. 

She looked over at him, and then at your interlocked hands, and you again, “It’s probably because you make him comfortable, babe, guys are always better when there's good chemistry… and the awkward ones are always better when they're extremely comfortable.” 

You glanced back at him over your shoulder, “You think?”

She nodded, “Yeah. He’s probably been ready for sex for a while, just… never found the right girl to feel comfortable enough around.” 

You sighed into a smile, “Makes sense. He was unusually confident… he’s hardly ever confident.” 

She giggled, “See.” 

You nodded, “I think I want to, like, a lot. But I don’t want to rush it.” 

She smiled, “Just, do what feels right. Go with the flow. Maybe even make a plan, you know? Like talk to him about what you want to do, and when. You can take it step by step.” 

You nodded. 

“Start off with hand stuff, then mouth stuff, then finish off with the big bang… literally.” 

You giggled, “Yeah… yeah okay.” 

“We should get you some lingerie.” She raised her eyebrows, “Just in case.” 

You bushed, “Yeah?”

She nodded, “What’s his favourite colour?” 

You thought for a moment, you were pretty sure it was a shade of green, but… then again, he never wore that colour. You turned back to him, 

“Gareth, what’s your favourite colour?” 

He turned away from his conversation quickly, “Why?”

“Not important.”

He gave you a funny look, shaking his head, “Ah, dark green.” 

You were right. Smiled graciously at him and turned back to Chrissy. 

“Dark green, ohh…” she nodded, “Elegant.” 

“Luckily, that colour looks great on me.” 

“Bonus.” she smiled, “We can go after school one day this week if you like?”

You nodded.

—————————————————————————

You sat in Gareth's car, it was Tuesday afternoon now, Eddie was still a no show at school. 

“Mum and dad are still at work,” you smiled, “you want to come in for a bit?” 

He nodded and you both clambered out and up to your house. You lead him through to your bedroom. 

“Hey, first time in your room as your boyfriend.” He grinned. 

“Shut up.” you smiled. 

He sat down on your bed, reaching his arm out to grab yours. He dragged you closer to stand between his legs, and he wrapped his arms around your waist, his chin pressing into your stomach as he looked up at you. You looked down at him with a smile, a hand resting on his bicep (which was pretty muscular due to his drumming) and your other hand swept through his hair. 

“You're so pretty.” you smiled, it had just slipped out, you didn't mean to say it at all, but you weren't mad about it. 

His ears turned red and he bit down on his lip to hide his smile, “I am not.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, “You are so.” you traced your finger over his freckles and down the bridge of his nose, “Very pretty boy.” 

He grinned, “Well, so are you.” 

“You think?” 

He nodded, “I know.”

You leant down and pressed a little kiss to his forehead. 

“So, yesterday I was talking with Chrissy about us-”

“Oh god…” his eyes widened and his arms tightened around your waist, “What did she say?”

You giggled, “Nothing bad, I promise. She thinks you're real cute.”

He blushed. 

“Well, she never said that. But she thinks we're real cute, and thinks we work great together. I think you're real cute.”

His cheeks darkened even more and he smirked. 

“We were just talking about…” you cleared your throat, “sex and stuff.” 

He raised his eyebrows, “Okay…”

“She suggested we make a plan.” 

“A plan?” He trailed his fingers absentmindedly up your spine, it made you shiver. 

“Yeah, like, when we wanna do stuff… like particular things.” 

“Ohh.” he nodded, “Okay, so, we will set a sort of date to try things out.”

“Yeah.” you smiled, “Is that… is that okay? Or weird?” 

“No,” he shook his head, “That’s okay.” 

“Okay…” you laughed nervously, “So, when should we set the dates for.”

He smiled, “You're in control here, remember, baby?” The nickname made your stomach flip.

“Uh, yeah.” you bit your lip, “Maybe… maybe next week we could-”

“Next week?” his mouth fell slightly agape, “That soon, you sure?” 

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, “Maybe. I just really enjoyed that little preview on Saturday night.”

He smirked, “Right… Well, what boundaries did you wanna set for next week? More specifically, when?” 

“Uhm, I don’t know… oh, there's that party on Friday.”

“That’s this week, darling.” 

“I know,” you shrugged.

“I don’t think we should do stuff at a party for the first time.”

You rolled your eyes, “Not at the party. Before it?” 

“Okay, yeah, okay.” He smiled, “What… what did you want to do?”

“Uhm, let’s leave it open ended?” You shrugged and he nodded, “So, something a little more advanced than Saturday, and depending on how we both feel, it could lead to more.”

He smiled, “I think that’s a great plan. We will aim for one small step further, and if you like that… maybe we can…-”

“Involve a little nudity?” 

He bit his lip, pink cheeks, “Maybe.” 

You laughed.

“Mum knows all about us, obviously, so, you can come to mine after school? Bring your party clothes?” 

“Yeah, okay.” you smiled, leaning down to kiss him gently. 

“I really like this… us.” He smiled, his face momentarily burrowing into your stomach as embarrassment overcame him.

You gently tugged at his hair, trying to get him to look at you again. Your heart raced a little, he was so, so sweet. He looked back up at you all doe eyed. 

“I really like this too.” 

He immediately smiled, so happy and full of love. His arms tightened around you even more and he kissed your stomach quickly. He looked back up at you, puckering his lips, awaiting a kiss. You looked at the little sparkle in his eyes, his need to keep you close, the eagerness in him, his puckered lips, the soft freckles on his face, the softness of his smile, and you knew. The thought - feeling - struck you in that moment. You already loved him. You smiled to yourself, lip wobbling a little, nerves racing around your body. You thought, maybe you should tell him now. Heck, you knew he would freak out for sure. But no, you thought you should save it. Maybe even wait a little longer, just to be sure. You swept his hair back and leant over to kiss him. You sunk down onto his lap, legs on either side of his, your arms flung over his shoulders. His hands rested softly on your waist, slowly creeping their way down to your ass. You deepen the kiss, shallowly moaning into it. He took that as permission and squeezed the soft flesh of your ass, pulling you in a little closer as he did. His tongue traced over your lips, and you invited him in. you could feel his erection growing under you. You rolled your hips down, pressing your cunt into him. He jolted with the contact, a deep groan slipping from his lips. You kissed down his jaw, his neck, littering his skin with red marks, a few developing hickeys. He swept your hair back from your neck and traced his thumb gentry over the purple bruise he had left from the other night. He laughed at it. You pulled back, looking at him deeply, thinking you had done something wrong. 

“What?”

He smiled, “Just realising that I left that hickey there.” he kissed it softly, “Still feels a little unreal sometimes.” 

You grinned, “Too good to be true?” 

He nodded, “Definitely. About two years ago I made myself realise that this,” he pointed between the two of you, “would never happen. That it would only be a desperate dream or something. So, yeah, sometimes it’s a little hard to wrap my head around.” 

You laughed, your hand smoothing over his cheek, “Sometimes you talk about me as if im some celebrity you’ve got a crush on. I must say, it is an ego boost.” 

“To me, you are.” He pressed a gentle kiss, so full of love and compassion on the tip of your nose. 

You played with the hem of his shirt, “You flatter me.” 

“Glad it’s finally working.” 

You giggled, “I’m sorry it took so long.” 

He shook his head, “Doesn’t matter anymore. I got you now.” 

You nodded, “You do.”

“I’m not letting you go.” 

“You better not.” you kissed him again, still playing with the hem of his shirt, “Can I take this off?” 

He tensed. You pulled back.

“Uhm…” this is what he was worried about. 

Your eyes wandered his face, trying to understand what was wrong. 

He swallowed, “I don’t know.”

You leant back a little, his hands resting on your back to prevent you from falling, “Okay, can I ask why?” 

He shrugged. 

You pressed a soft hand on his chest, “You okay? Did I do something wrong?” 

He sighed, a shaky breath following, “No. I know it has to happen eventually, but…” he swallowed, “I’m- I don’t like taking my shirt off.” 

You nodded, absentmindedly playing with the neckline of his shirt now, “Okay… can I ask why?” 

“I’m just- I don’t like it… what it looks like.” 

Your heart sank, “Gareth…”

“It’s just… you know, all these guys have abs and shit. And Eddie, he looks - I know this sounds gay, but - he looks great without a shirt. All toned and stuff, and then there's me… and my belly. And, I mean, you went from liking Eddie… to me. Which is obviously a downgrade, I know and I-”

“It’s def-”

“I just know you're not gonna like it- me- what I look like.” 

“Okay, one…” you pressed a hand over his mouth to shut him up, “You don’t get to choose what I will and won't like. Two, you are not a downgrade. Do you really think that?”

“Well… yeah.”

You shook your head, “You most definitely aren't, Gareth. You are one hundred times better-”

“Never mind that, okay.” He sighed, “Just, I don’t want you to freak out and leave me when I take my shirt off.” 

You looked at him softly, “I promise you, I won’t.” 

“But I’m-”

“Do you know how uncomfortable cuddling Eddie is?” you smiled, “It’s like hugging a rock. But you, you're comfy. Prime cuddle buddy material right there.” you poked his chest. 

“Maybe-” He smiled, “But not attractive-”

“Gareth Emerson you shut the fuck up, right now. You are beautiful, okay? I’ve always found you attractive, I know that for a fact.”

“Really?” He said it with an unbelieving tone. 

“Yes.” you laughed a little, “Your super duper handsome, you know? A little tummy isn’t gonna change that. I don’t need abs, in fact, abs aren't even that attractive.”

He quirked an eyebrow. 

You shook your head, “There are better things on a man. Like his eyes,” you drew your fingers around his eyes, “his nose, his lips, his smile-”

He rolled his eyes, smirking. 

“See, so attractive.” you bit your lip, “Not to mention, you're really quite strong.” you grabbed his biceps, “strong and tall-”

“I'm not that strong or tall-”

“Taller than me, and I’m sure you’re strong enough to lift me.” 

He smiled, “Maybe.”

You shrugged, “Maybe.”

“Still…” He cleared his throat, “I’m just-”

“I get it.” you smiled, “I have my insecurities too.” 

He looked at you with such desperate eyes, “You do?” 

You nodded, “These ones you're not gonna see today, but I have a bunch of stretch marks on my boobs that I’m insecure about.” 

He pouted his lip slightly. 

“And I got a little tummy too.” you shrugged, “I’m nervous about you seeing that as well.” 

“You know I would still think you're beautiful.”

You nodded, “Yeah, I still have my nerves… and you can too. But, I’m not gonna run for the hills.” 

He swallowed thickly, “You sure?”

You huffed, your body wiggling as you did, “Yes. One billion percent.” 

“O-Okay.” he nodded. 

You bit your lip, hands sliding back down his chest and stomach to the hem of his shirt. You could feel the fear radiating off of him. You shook your head and grabbed the hem of your own shirt instead, pulling it up and over your head. You tossed it to the ground behind you and locked eyes on him again. His gaze drifted down your body, a soft smile on his lips. 

“See,” you grabbed at the fat on your stomach, “tummy.” 

He looked up at you and whispered, “You're so beautiful.” 

Your heart skipped a beat, and you couldn’t do anything other than kiss him. His hands rested softly on your thighs, sliding up your hips and your sides. His hands make your bare skin tingle. He slid them up till they brushed against the bottom of your bra, and kept them there on your ribs for a moment. He kissed your chest, lowering his lips to right above where your bra sat. He pulled back, his hands sliding back down to your waist. He looked at you, his eyes glistening in the low light of your bedroom. You reached back down and played with the hem of his shirt. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t stop you, he didn’t give you permission. So you didn’t do anything. 

“How about I close my eyes?” you suggested, “So you can get used to having your shirt off with me, but I won’t see anything unless you want me to?” 

He took a moment to think before nodding. 

You smiled and shut your eyes. You pulled at his shirt, lifting it up to his chest, and over his head, his arms slipping out. His arms immediately snaked around his front. You reached forward, your fingers lightly tapping around, searching for his hand. When you found it, you pulled them both away, resting them back on your hips. You slowly reached out, pressing your palms flat against his chest. 

“Your skin is really soft.” you smiled. 

He smiled, but you couldn't see that. 

You moved your hands down slowly over his stomach and wrapped them back around his waist, “Is this okay?” 

He nodded, “Yes.” 

You leant forward, pulling him in closer to kiss again. Your hands trailed back to his chest, keeping them there for a while before letting one hand snake up into his hair. His hands made their way to your ass again, and he pulled your hips down into his crotch, setting a slow pace for you to grind into him. You moaned into his mouth. You pulled your body closer against him, the warm skin of your stomachs now connected. You kept your eyes closed, but trailed a soft line of kisses down his neck again. His heart raced, body packed full of nerves. You could feel his hesitance. 

“Gareth.” you whispered against his collarbone as you kissed him there, “from what I can feel so far, I like it. Take a deep breath, relax, let me take care of you okay beautiful boy?” you sat back up in front of him, eyes still shut. 

“You're just saying that.”

You shook your head, a soft smile on your lips, “I promise, I’m not. You feel soft, and warm, and comfortable, and right. Just want to keep you like this forever, kiss you all over.” 

He blushed, but once again, you couldn’t see it. 

“Are you smiling right now? Or frowning? I’m not psychic.” 

He laughed, “Okay, okay. This is stupid.” He shook his head, “Open your eyes.”

“You sure?” 

“Yes.” He swallowed. 

You slowly pried them open, being sure to look him right in the eyes, “Can I look at you, Gar Bear?” 

He nodded slowly. 

You smiled and let your eyes fall to his torso. Your immediate reaction was to smile. 

“Told you you’re handsome.” 

He blushed and rolled his eyes, you pushed at his chest, laying him back on the bed. You kissed along his chest and down his stomach, taking your time, sucking and biting at the skin, covering him in little red marks that would soon turn purple. He just lied there, eyes closed, letting you kiss him however you wanted. He felt safe with you. You kissed under his belly button, right along his happy trail, getting dangerously close to his erection, but that wasn’t your intention. 

“I like these too.” you smiled and traced your finger over his happy trail, “A lot apparently.” 

He looked down at you, “Apparently?” 

“Yeah, well, they look pretty nice on all the rockstars in my mags…” you shrugged, “but I really, really like yours.” 

He blushed.

You kissed it again and crawled back up to him, “It’s very hot.”

His eyebrows raised in disbelief, “Nope-”

You pressed a finger to his lips to sush him, “Yes. You're so very hot, Gareth. Can you please just take a compliment?” 

“Sorry.” 

“You better be.” you grinned, “I think you're the most handsome man on the planet.” 

“Other than Bon Jovi.”

You smirked, “You know me too well.” 

Will and Gareth? Will and Gareth?! WILL AND GARETH?!! I did NOT know this was a ship I needed until now. No offense to Mike "it's not my fault you don't like girls," Wheeler, but Will deserves better. I have a feeling that Gareth can be a bit of a grumpy bear like Hopper, and Joyce notices when Will brings him around.

"It looks like we have the same taste in men," Joyce joked.

"Mom!"

Though Will was the one who started calling Gareth his grumpy bear, Joyce loved that and started to call Hopper that as well.

"Aw, look at our grumpy bears!"

"Joyce! We can hear you!"