Tragic Kingdom (80s/90s imagines)

105:Vern Tessio (Stand By Me)

For clara_fernandes19

"Vern, please stay at least 6 feet away from my sister." Teddy physically pushed the pair apart, making himself a barrier between them. "She's basically a child, and don't think for a second I haven't seen the way you look at her."

Vern, the poor boy, flushed redder than a ripe tomato, while you sighed.

"Teddy, please-" you began to argue, but your brother cut you off, holding out his glasses.

"See these? They help me see, and I definitely see whatever it is you two think is going to happen." Narrowly avoiding eating dust from a rock in his path, he promptly replaced his glasses on his face. "Whew! Anyway-"

"Anyway, I am not a child, and it's none of your business," you finally cut in.

"None of my business?"

Vern shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "I mean, it really isn't."

"My best buddy and my sister are trying to hook up, so it's definitely my business," he exclaimed. He shook his head, mumbling inaudibly. "I don't wanna see you two batting eyes at each other anymore. It turns my stomach."

You caught Vern's eye behind Teddy's head. Rolling your eyes, you told him—without telling him—that Teddy's general disgust for the idea of you two being together would not keep you apart.

And that's when the sneaking around started.

"Oof, oh!" you groaned as you plopped onto his bedroom floor from the window.

You didn't really have to sneak into his room—Teddy lived with you—but Vern was worried that his mom might let it slip that you had been over when Teddy happened to swing by.

Vern leapt up to your side, helping you up. "Oh jeez, Y/N. Are you alright?" He looked you over, searching for any obvious signs of injury, though the fall hadn't been more than a couple feet.

You got up and smoothed out your clothes. "I'm fine," you assured him, smiling softly at his concern. You were always shocked by how sweet he was in comparison to your brother. "Don't even worry about it. Now, I need to show you this comic I found."

You two spent a lot of time exchanging comics and helping each other with homework, since you each struggled with different subjects. Maybe some cuddling eventually transpired, and maybe a kiss or two was exchanged. Either way, you two moved very slow.

Usually, you were the one hiding in his room, but one day, you asked him to come over to your house.

"Teddy has a date tonight," you whispered into the phone. "Knowing him, he won't be home for a while, and my mom is working late."

Vern unceremoniously hoisted himself into your room through your window, and while not nearly as rough as your own first landing into his floor, it was still an awkward sight to see.

"I brought snacks," he announced, opening the backpack he had carried all the way from his house. He dug around and pulled out your favorite candy.

Your eyes went a little wide at the sight. "You remembered that one's my favorite?"

A sheepish smile grew on his face. "Of course I remembered. Now, I think we left off on page 25 in this one." He picked up the comic laying on your nightstand.

Neither of you were sure how long it had been. You had finished the comic and began talking, topics shifting and rabbit trailing. As it went on, you snuggled in closer and closer to one another. At some point, he ended up lying on his back, while you laid your head on his chest.

Feeling and hearing his heartbeat made you forget everything. You forgot about your brother's unreasonable disapproval. You forgot that Vern shouldn't even be in your room by any means. All you could think about was the way he made you feel, and how you hoped his heart beat for you like yours did for him.

In a moment of impulsivity, you sat up and hovered over his face for a second, looking him dead in the eyes. Wordlessly, you slowly lowered yourself to connect your lips in a tender, chaste kiss.

And as if the moment had been too good, your door swung open.

"Hey, I have t-"

Teddy stood in your doorway, blinking in disbelief. A quiet Teddy was somehow worse than his outbursts.

"What the fuck?" was all he could manage.

You jumped nearly a mile when you heard him, but you and Vern were frozen in place, staring at Teddy.

A switch seemed to flip because your brother was suddenly charging towards the bed. He grabbed Vern. "I swear if you touched my sister-"

"He didn't do anything!" you yelled. "Let go of him." You managed to get Teddy's fist detached from a shaking Vern's shirt.

The dark haired boy was near tears. "I promise nothing happened, Teddy. You gotta believe me. I would never..."

Teddy, breathing heavy, ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh. "Vern, I swear if I didn't know you better... but I trust you. If you say nothing happened, nothing happened."

You were surprised how quickly the situation had diffused, but despite your relief, you still remained speechless.

"But I don't like that you were here all alone," Teddy continued. "If I catch you two hiding out again, I might not trust you so much."

Vern quickly nodded. "I swear it won't happen again, Teddy. I'm sorry." Luckily, he had maintained his dignity and kept the tears from falling. "I gotta get home." He looked at you, so many things being translated from his eyes, and then back at Teddy before mumbling a "Goodnight" to both of you and shuffling out of the room.

Teddy turned to you, his face stern. "I'm not telling Mom."

A second breath of relief for you that evening. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He made his way out of your room but paused at the door. "Oh, but if I end up third wheeling, I'm intervening again."

I was rlly worried this was about to be another short one, but the words kept coming to me and here we are.

Thank you so much for requesting! And I hope this is what you wanted! M'kay.

~Mariah