#//He’d trust his loved ones to help that kiddo if need be

[dutybcrne]

I like to think Kaeya and Albedo have a more or less joking deal to have a kid if Kaeya’s 25th birthday rolls around and he’s still unwed.

[bookshelf-dust]

good night, bloodsucker

eddie munson x fem!reader

word count: 2,114

warnings: swearing, a little anxiety, fluff (let me know if i forgot something)

a/n: hi! this is a little short and sweet fic for you. i hope maybe someone will be into it. i’m starting to feel a little better about writing, and this one made me happy, so that’s something. also, this is dedicated to the one and only @clovermunson (the crowd goes wild!!) for having such a lovely brain and trusting me to handle this. i love you all to the moon and back. keep kicking ass. <33

————

Wayne is unable to see the television screen but for a few seconds at a time. It’s making what was meant to be a relaxing night off…anything but relaxing. 

He huffs and sets his drink down. 

“Boy, would you quit your pacin’?” 

The boy in question scoffs, continuing to move back and forth across the room, occasionally pausing to peek out the window or fuss with something on the kitchen counter. It’s like somehow he thinks an idea will swoop in through the panes and seep into his brain. Like it will materialize before him and all will be resolved.

It’s been another five minutes of this when the elder Munson can’t take it anymore.

“Eddie!”

“WAYNE!”

He rubs his temple, chuckling at his nephew’s panic. He pauses the tv. 

“You gotta calm down, kid.”

Eddie slams his hands up against his face so hard that the slap resonates throughout the room. He peeks out from between his fingers.

“I know! I know. I just—this is our first date ever, and I have a tendency to be a royal fuck up, and I don’t want to ruin this.”

Wayne pats the cushion beside him, encouraging the boy to take a seat. 

“You won’t ruin it. She said yes to going on with you, didn’t she? Now all you gotta do is be yourself.”

Eddie rolls his eyes, preparing to argue, but Wayne holds up a hand. 

“There’s nothing to worry about, Ed. You’re already friends, aren’t you?”

“Well, yeah—”

“And you want to go out with her?” 

“Yeah, I mean—”

“Then I don’t see the problem.”

They both stop speaking, and Eddie looks at Wayne, eyes wide with nerves. 

“I don’t know how first dates work, Wayne! Can’t you just tell me what to do?”

Eddie slides down off the couch until he’s flat on the floor. 

Wayne scoots forward, looking down at his nephew. He’s much too big to be moping on the carpet. His hair is splayed out around him, and Wayne can’t help but think about how this has been Eddie’s default reaction to anxiety since he got dropped off on his doorstep. Some things never change. 

Eddie thinks his uncle looks incredibly wise, looming over him like this. “What plans have you got for tonight?” Wayne asks.

Eddie puts his hands under his head, feigning collectedness. “We’re seeing a movie.”

“Okay. A movie. What else?”

The boy gulps. “I thought I’d take her for ice cream. And that way we could sit and talk or whatever. Shit, is that a bad idea?”

Wayne reaches down and smacks Eddie’s knee, though the gesture is free of malicious intent. 

“No. You have a lot of bad ideas, but that isn’t one of them. I’m sure it’ll be fine, kiddo.”

Eddie sits up, mumbling under his breath. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, yeah, yeah.” He almost smacks his head on the coffee table when he stands.

He’s determined not to pace again, so he calmly, unnecessarily slowly, sits back down on the couch. He laces and unlaces his fingers. 

“Should I get her flowers?”

“Eddie.” Wayne downs the last of the beer he’d been nursing in one go.

Eddie looks at his watch. He doesn’t even have time for flowers. He’s been panicking for so long that he actually needs to head out so that he can pick you up and you won’t think he forgot about you—

He stands just as quickly as he’d sat down. “I gotta go, Wayne.”

He follows Eddie to the door and meets his eyes. The very same doe eyes that have always gotten him what he wanted. Because Eddie is a suck-up, and Wayne always gives in. 

“Just be yourself, alright? You're gonna be fine. Treat her nice, watch out for her. Make sure she’s comfortable. And have a good time.” 

Wayne presses a rough kiss to Eddie’s forehead, though it’s over his messy bangs. Wayne Munson is a surprisingly affectionate person, especially towards people he loves, no matter how brooding his demeanor is. 

“Okay. Yeah, I got this. I’m a gentleman. It’s gonna be fine.” 

Eddie’s halfway to the van when he realizes he was lost in hyping himself up and forgot his keys. Wayne notices though, and tosses them to him from the front steps. It’s pure dumb luck that Eddie catches them. 

“Good luck, Ed.”

“You too!”

Wayne sees Eddie smack his head against the steering wheel in anguish. He laughs it off, stepping back inside the now quiet trailer.

“Get a grip, goddammit,” Eddie fusses to himself, pulling out of the park. “Get a damn grip.”

————

“You really have a type, don’t you?”

Eddie’s looking at you, eyes wide with glee, cheeks all rosy from laughing. 

“Maybe. But I guess it works in your favor, doesn’t it, Munson?”

He tosses your shared empty popcorn bucket in the trash. You’re still sipping on your Icee, the blue raspberry flavoring having turned your tongue blue. 

“That it does.”

Eddie realized after the movie had started that you seemed to have the hots for every damn vampire on the screen. And he couldn’t help but notice the subtle similarities between the looks and interests of those characters and himself. 

“It’s not my fault you’re all so pretty.”

He holds the door open for you. It’s one of the many sweet gestures he’s provided you with over the course of the night. He’s opened every door. He ordered your popcorn, helped you up the stairs in the theater, and now he’s waiting while you finish your drink—albeit a little obnoxiously just to tease him. 

“Is that a compliment?”

You pull on the chain attached to his belt loop. “Yep. You’re very pretty. And I’m glad I waited to see this with you.”

Eddie’s blushing. He’d try to hide it if he weren’t so intrigued by your words. 

“Waited?”

“Yeah, I had a friend ask me to see The Lost Boys with them on opening night, but I really wanted to see it with you. Figured you’d like it, too.” 

He leans in and sweetly presses his forehead against yours, just for a moment. 

“Well that’s cute. And I did like it. I’m honored you wanted to see it with little ‘ol me.”

“I think I’d like to see all the movies with you.” The words are leaving your mouth before you can second guess yourself, and the look on his face is completely worth it. 

“Shit, you really are just making me feel special tonight, huh?” 

You’re still messing with the chain on his jeans, but your fingers move upward, finding purchase on a patch sewn onto his vest. The messy stitching feels comforting against the pad of your finger. 

“You are very special, Eddie.”

He won’t argue with you. Not when he can tell that you’re being earnest. When it’s practically emanating from you. You think you could dedicate your heart and soul to him, worship him like he’s some ancient deity, and you’d never grow tired of him. 

“Right back at you, sweetheart.” You grin at his words, and suddenly he’s feeling loads more confident knowing he can make you so giddy. He can’t believe he landed a date with such a fucking gem. 

“You want a milkshake?” he asks, raising a brow. 

“‘Course I do. I’m not a psycho.”

Eddie snorts. It’s a cute sound. One you’re very pleased that you got him to make. 

“There’s a place up here, on the corner. We can walk, but we have to cross the street a couple times, so I think you’re gonna have to hold my hand.”

You’re sure you’ve never smiled so brightly. So stupidly, head over heels for the boy in front of you. He bends at the waist and extends his hand. 

“I think you’re right. That seems like the very best option.”

“Glad we’re on the same page.”

You slide your palm against his, and you’d be embarrassed at the sheer amount of butterflies in your tummy if you weren’t so happy to be holding Eddie’s hand. 

His rings collide with your own, and his thumb starts rubbing over yours almost automatically, as if this is something he’s been doing with you forever.

He swings your entwined hands during the short walk, and you don’t know it, but secretly he’s trying to memorize each line, each dry patch or scratch that covers your skin. He could hold your hand forever. 

When you’re in line, waiting on the milkshakes he ordered for you, again, you slide your other hand up his arm until it rests on his bicep, and Eddie thinks he might melt right there on the shop floor.

You resting your head on his shoulder just about ruins his life. He catches you looking at his hand, and before he knows it you’re bringing it upward, pressing your lips to the back of it and adjusting the bracelet on his wrist.

“You should let me paint your nails.” 

Eddie meets your eyes. He doesn’t look freaked by the idea, rather like he’s contemplating letting you do so. 

“Okay. You wanna go next door and find some polish after this?”

You lift your head, and there’s a little mark on your cheek from a crease in his jacket. Eddie presses his thumb against the mark and smiles. 

“Really?” you ask. 

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” you grin. You squeeze his arm a little tighter, and the look on your face makes Eddie realize Wayne was right. There was nothing to worry about. 

————

Eddie’s hand rests on the center console in his van. It’s still parked outside the theater. 

You had your cup resting there too, but with each sip you took, chin against the lid, Eddie was still worried you’d spill it. Not because of the mess it’d make, no—he’s made tons of messes in his car. But because he couldn’t bear to see you cry over spilled milkshake. You let him taste it, and it is pretty damn good. 

So now, Eddie holds it in the hand that’s supposed to be drying. You lift your head up, and he tilts the straw towards you, allowing you to take a sip. The excitement on your face every time he does it makes him feel like he could sit here and feed you for the rest of his life. 

He thinks he may be in deeper than he realized. Hell, he’s allowing you to paint his nails in the van, the window cracked and music turned down lower than it has ever been. 

Every once in a while you catch glimpses of conversations coming from the passing moviegoers, and you’ll both giggle simultaneously. This evening has felt like some fever dream, something Eddie never would’ve imagined he’d experience, let alone deserve. 

You stick your tongue out and pull up Eddie’s hand, appraising your work. Once satisfied, you start putting on a layer of clear polish. Eddie tries to read the teeny words on the bottle over the lid of his own cup. 

“What’s that for?”

“Seals it all in and keeps it on longer. Figured this might give it a chance at outlasting your daily escapades.”

He laughs. It’s a slow, sweet sound, and you wish you could bottle it up and take it home with you. 

Eddie holds his nails up to the air vents. You grin at him, tucking the bottles of nail polish into his jacket pocket so he can keep them. 

He leans his head towards yours, but he can’t quite reach. “C’mere, pretty please.”

You incline your own, and he presses his lips to your forehead. You feel yourself flush. 

“Thank you, sweetheart. I really like them. Very metal.”

You let out a breath of a laugh. “I’m glad you like them, Eddie. I had a really good time tonight.”

“I did too. Maybe next time you’ll let me paint your nails?”

You swipe your thumb over the very prominent dimple that’s appeared on his cheek with the way he’s smiling at you. 

“Of course I will. Next time you can pick the movie.”

“Deal.”

When Eddie drives you home shortly after, you get another kiss on the forehead. He can’t help but think, watching you go up your front steps, that you really do deserve some nice flowers. What he doesn’t know is that you think the same thing about him.

You unlock the door and turn to face him one last time for the evening. 

“Good night, bloodsucker!” you shout, grinning and hoping he’ll laugh.

He does. Success. 

He really is gonna have to stay away from Chinese for awhile. But it was worth it. Just like he thought, he’s head over heels. Maybe you’re the vampire. 

————

please let me know if you liked this! feedback is always appreciated!! comments and reblogs mean more than you know. <33

[thezoraprince]

BotW/TotK men as dads

i have baby fever that won't go away

anyway, here's a... something

enjoy <3

Link

oh it’s gonna be wild

most rambunctious child (including Rivan’s)

sweet and caring

but overall, CHAOTIC

will teach his child literally everything he knows

not many words are spoken, but there’s so much love

sign language is a big thing for sure

hugs galore

will defend his child as if his life depended on it

Sidon (i have so many for Sidon, so only adding a little bit here)

so confident

yet so scared

lots of learning

gentle

the love in the household is UNREAL

takes his kid everywhere Mipha took him

the fun is never ending

Bazz

so much unlearning

scared he’s not giving his child enough attention

wants to spend all of his time with them

think’s he’s not good enough of a father

doesn’t know how to have deep; meaningful conversations

doesn’t want to be like his own father

loves and cares SO deeply

once he gets past all the heavy stuff, he’s the best dad a kid could have

Rivan

already a dad, and a good one at that

literally so on top of his game

others cannot compare

takes his kid to work and shows them how cool everyone is

“Bazz is a little on edge because you’re here, but we won’t worry about that.”

the fun dad

Dunma babysits sometimes to give Rivan a break

but he ends up not going anywhere because he loves his little family THAT much

silly af

an actual dilf

perfect father

100000/10

Ledo

so gentle

so kind

will literally gift his kid rocks that look cool

teaches them everything Dento taught him

would probably ask Dento to babysit

has the most well behaved child out of anyone on this list

another apprentice in the making

would hand-make his child toys

Revali

asshole stepdad energy to start with

lots of unlearning

lots of re-learning

scared shitless

once he eventually realizes his actions have consequences, he’ll own up to his mistakes

ends up being a cool dad

“don’t talk to me or my son ever again” energy

takes his child to the flight range everyday

“You’re the best, and don’t forget it.”

Teba

already a dad, and a cool one

Tulin is such a good brother (but man is he a little shit sometimes)

the kids would go to the flight range and Teba would let them go by themselves

not like he has a village to run or anything…

a little more strict than the others on this list, but it’s out of love and safety

trusts Tulin to take care of his younger sibling

goes with both of them to the flight range once every two weeks to watch what they’ve been working on

wants the best for his kids

but doesn’t want to get in the way of their fun

Daruk

a cool dad

wise

also fun

would be the one to take his child to the skatepark

Goron City better watch out, because these two are fly af

funny dad jokes

would call his kid ‘kiddo’ unironically

“kiddo goro”

Yunobo

i cannot see this one as a dad

more like the distant uncle

but he’d be so sweet

and so caring

so afraid he’d fuck up

needs constant reassurance

gentle af

takes things too personally

Tauro

THE cool dad

dilf energy for sure

would take his kid to research the Zonai ruins

and he’d probably end up losing them 30% of the time

don’t worry, they know where they are

uses his research and findings for teaching his child

these two would be the most knowledgable people in Hyrule 

Rauru

the wise one

and SO chill

and helpful af

only takes part in chaos if it’s the fun kind

will shut down ANY ‘funny business’

defends his child with his life

together they pick flowers for Sonia

the love is unmatched

and the surprises are never ending 

[yellowhollyhock]

for and inspired by @majachee

The differences in approach to Raphael in Mirage and 1987 and their influence on archie

(I have not read all of Mirage or Archie, this is my impressions so far)

Mirage Raph: he’s got a big heart. I really think that’s the most succinct all-encompassing way of putting it. His emotions take up a lot of space.

Sometimes literally.

He’s always eager to help. When they meet that survivalist group, he’s the one to suggest Don could disable the bomb. When the time traveler girl/creature shows up, he’s the first to speak up that he’d like to help. And during the big Raph and Leo fight, it’s Raph who’s eager to return to New York. His heart is wide open to anyone in need.

He’s energetic. He loves fighting, it’s the first thing we learn about him. He hates leeches, but still tries to be kind to one in his demutation arc. Also, he loves to be outside! In the very first issue he spells it out; he hates being underground, loves the chance to be out in the city (when he’s delivering the challenge message to Shredder).

Stir crazy. Just a hyper gold-hearted teen whose hobby is roughhousing. Him and Mikey love to roughhouse so much in mirage. Unlike in later iterations, it never (to my knowledge) seems to start as or escalate into a fight, they just both love to do it. They do annoy others with their noise and breaking of furniture, but they both just love spending that time together.

But let’s not let any of that bring our attention away from the violence. He loves violence.

He’s like if the monster in your closet was a teddy bear, who could also kill you. On your side, he’s a big softie. But if you’re not on his side you may as well be a dead ant.

The duality of Raphael, which will influence future iterations of the red turtle for decades to come—but just a couple years down the road:

1987 Raphael

Does not want to help (this is an unfair oversimplification but compared to mirage Raph. He's more like mirage Don in the 'but do we have to though? have you considered we could die? okay just checking')

Does not like violence. Sure he can fight, he even can be a bit of a daredevil under the exact right circumstances, but mostly he prefers to hang back as much as possible.

He likes costumes and jokes. He does not seem particularly fond of animals. He loves being dramatic but like in a lowkey way.

He’s just tagging along with his bros making sarcastic remarks asdflkjkj (this is like literally the inverse of mirage Raph who likes solo missions; he’s on missions because he doesn’t want to be solo)

Also, as opposed to mirage Raph who’s got a very strong sense of who he is and leans into it, 87 Raphael is insecure about not having a ‘thing’ he contributes to the team. That’s why he takes up disguises.

It’s like this. Mirage Raph is your uncle who’s had too much to drink before the party even starts, who doesn’t realize how loud he’s talking or how aggressive he’s coming across as he tells about his adventures either last week or throughout his childhood. Other relatives keep trying to hint to him that the things he shares aren’t appropriate in front of little kids, but he’s just like ‘oh you’re right there’s kiddos, come on gather round you guys will like this one’ and then tells a worse story. He’s also the only relative the skittish shelter dog your grandma just brought home will trust. He’s brought you a blanket with your favorite video game character on it, mindful of your texture sensitivity. It’s not your birthday, it’s just cause.

87 Raphael is your closeted gay cousin who’s got such an intense fixation on Bugs Bunny your aunt’s getting worried. As far as the adults are concerned he doesn’t seem to cause too much trouble but he’s always around when you’re doing something you shouldn’t, rarely tattles but always threatens to and uses this to get you to buy him things, or do his chores, or save him the good seat at the table or cheat for him at game night or whatever. He knows all the family secrets and has something scathing to say about everything ever, whether how lame a family activity is or why on earth your dad bought a truck that color or what were they thinking making the post office out of brick. He’s gonna be in a play this fall, he’s trying not to tell anyone but your aunt really insists you come see him.

All of this to say, here’s why archie is the way he is

And by the way he is… hm. How does one begin to explain archie Raph

He’s very often the turtle taking initiative. That comes from Mirage. He sees an opening and goes for it. He really does seem to enjoy fighting, and is happy to go off on a solo mission if it seems exciting or is gonna get the threat taken care of faster. But he does also sort of roll his eyes? Like ugh we’re gonna go out and fight again. Ugh stupid bad guys now I have to beat them up when I could be home eating pizza. What do you mean what did we learn ugh Splinter ugh.

He’s just. Idk he’s so broody. I think I’m mostly basing this on his expressions? Maybe what I’ve heard from the future arc that I haven’t read yet? I can’t pin down why he seems broody to me but I can’t think of a better word for him.

He’s got the love of violence and the deadpan sense of humor. The ‘let me just get this done solo’ and the ‘please do not separate me from my brothers.’ The impulsive trembling with excitement looking for a chance to strike fighter in him from his mirage counterpart, and the obsession with clothes from his 1987 counterpart.

Seriously, even though it kind of annoys me for reasons I can’t begin to explain, one of my favorite things about this Raph is his freaking costumes. The archie writers really looked at warm-hot-dangerous-sweetheart mirage Raph and complainer-comedian-Some Guy-queer coded 87 Raphael and said ‘you know what these two have in common? Black clothes. Maybe a hooded cloak.’

And yeah that tracks, right? If rambunctious uncle and gay cousin are somehow gonna be the same guy, he is the ultimate Emo. Emo Aunt.

(accidentally created a little family of Raphael allegories kjhskjdf)

so basically

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

How about Peter feeling touch-starved and asks Tony for a hug?

These mini fics often turn out super self-indulgently soft. Haha. But hey! We love it, right?? We're here for the fanon?? I know I am! I hope Anon is too because this one is hurt/comfort with a heavy emphasis on the comfort. Peter desperately needs a hug and doesn't know it. Good thing Tony does. :) Super sweet. Very fluff.

Peter Parker Needs a Hug 967 Words

At sixteen-years-old, Peter was eminently capable of spending a week alone in the apartment. May had been begged to take some shifts at a short-staffed hospital a few hours away. She’d tried to decline. She’d told them she had a nephew at home and couldn't uproot him in the middle of the school year.

Peter had argued the compensation was too good to give up. He’d assured her he would be fine. It wasn’t like he spent that much time at home anyway. He’d attend school, patrol, complete his homework and sleep. If he needed anything, he would have the Leeds’, MJ and Mr. Stark.

Reluctantly she had accepted the offer. She’d packed a few bags, hugged him tightly and driven off.

As it were, Peter flourished in the independence. He woke up early to make himself breakfast, watched whatever he wanted on the television and made sure to get to bed at a reasonable hour. It was great. And when the first week went well, May apprehensively agreed to one more.

While Peter missed his aunt, he wasn’t terribly upset that she had decided to stay longer. It was only seven more days and they talked on the phone all the time. However, the intrigue and sense of accomplishment that came with being trusted to care for himself came to a screeching halt in the middle of his eleventh night of solitude.

For no discernible reason, Peter woke up too early in the morning feeling uneasy. He didn’t think he’d had a nightmare. If he had, he certainly didn’t remember it. Sighing, he went to get a glass of milk from the kitchen; something he often did when he simply couldn’t sleep. But as he walked down the hall, he realized something was different. What he ordinarily thought of as a peaceful silence in the apartment, had been replaced with an eerie feeling of emptiness. He rolled his eyes at his own dramatics and flipped the light on.

The rest of his day didn’t go any better. He got to school and went through the usual paces. Really, it would have been a completely ordinary day had it not been for the lingering discontent in the back of his head. It made him irritable and anxious, and he had no idea how to combat.

When lunch came around, Ned put a hand on his shoulder and asked him if he was okay. He shook his head, his eyes stinging with unshed tears as he fought back the overwhelming desire to pull his friend into a bone crushing hug. Being that they were in the middle of the crowded cafeteria, he fought the urge and wrapped his own arms around himself instead. He mumbled he was just in a bad mood, apologized and tried to go back to his suddenly tasteless sandwich.

Patrol was a no-go. He wanted to go out and help, but lacked the motivation. It was odd. He couldn’t think of a time he’d ever not wanted to patrol. He brushed it off as another symptom of a bad day and went straight home. He’d only been there about ten minutes before Mr. Stark texted him.

‘You’re not patrolling today?’

‘Taking a break,’ he replied, not wanting to give too much away.

‘Want to take that break at the tower? the next message read. Followed by, ‘I could use your help.’

Peter read the message over a few times, surprised that going to the tower actually sounded really nice. Hurriedly, he changed into this suit and headed in that direction.

“Hey, Kiddo!” Mr. Stark cheerfully greeted. “How goes your lack of parental supervision? I haven’t gotten any emergency calls, so I assume it’s gone well.”

Dubiously, Peter narrowed his eyes. “May asked you to check on me, didn’t she.”

Mr. Stark smiled sheepishly, his hand moving to the back of his neck. “She did. Said you sounded a little down this morning.”

Peter’s eyes tried to well up again. It was super aggravating. Especially in front of Mr. Stark.“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he growled. “I’m antsy and annoyed for no good reason.”

Mr. Stark’s head tilted to the side. “How long has May been gone?”

Peter scrubbed at his face and did a mental tally. “Almost twelve days.”

There were a few beats of silence. Then Mr. Stark beckoned him closer. “Come here, Buddy.”

“Why?” Peter asked, feeling more defensive than he should have.

“Just come here. Trust me.”

Peter did as asked. He closed the distance between them and was met with a tight embrace. He stiffened for a split second before melting into the pressure. He couldn’t restrain the fresh round of tears that sprung to his eyes. Mr. Stark tightened his grasp, swaying gently as he ran a hand up and down his back. He didn’t stop until Peter gathered a breath and pulled back on his own.

“Better?” Mr. Stark asked, one hand still squeezing Peter's bicep.

“Yeah,” he replied, his cheeks pink with mild embarrassment. “Yeah, that’s better.”

“I know you’ve been doing fine on your own, but you know you’re welcome to stay here tonight,” Tony offered. “Pizza and movies. I’ll get you to school in the morning.”

Relief Peter didn’t even know he needed, washed over him. “That actually sounds really awesome,” he sighed, leaning in for another brief hug. “Thanks, Mr. Stark. You always seem to know what I need.”

“That’s my job,” Mr. Stark said softly. “But next time you need a hug, all you have to do is ask, okay, Pete?”

“Okay,” Peter echoed. He bit back a smile and looked up through his lashes. “Can I have a hug?”

Tony barked a pleasant laugh. “Of course, Kiddo! Any time,” he said, arms outstretched for Peter to fall into. “Absolutely anytime.”

[tngrace]

Prologue

And here we go finally! Part 1 of Maverick Chronicles. Will update on Fridays. Enjoy!

Tumbler: Masterlist: Main, Mav Chronicles ; A03

Even at five, Pete knew his world was changing. The men on the porch caught his mom when she went down, but he’s not sure he’ll ever forget her cries. She’d always been a little distant when his dad was away, but when his dad never came back, he lost his mom as well. She stayed in her room, only emerging to get another drink and restart the song. He hated that song. He’s not surprised when he comes home from school one day a year and half later to find officers at his house and his mom is gone. He doesn’t cry; he lost his mom a long time ago. 

None of his relatives wanted him; he was a young child who had already been through too much. He was already acting out at school, getting into trouble, but no one took the time to see that he just needed a little attention, a little love. When none of his aunts would take him, he was placed in the system; a system that wasn’t very kind to him. A system that reinforced his beliefs that no one would want him, that he was inherently bad, that he deserved all the pain and heartache he received. But what he didn’t know was that someone was fighting for him; someone, two someones, wanted him very much. 

When he was eight and a half, Mike and Carrie started to come visit. He vaguely remembers Mike working with his dad, but it takes a couple of visits before he warms up to them. The social worker is surprised with how well-behaved and nice Pete is when he is with Mike and Carrie. But they talk to him, they listen, they give him attention and they’re nice to him. He likes them, and he really likes when Mike tells him stories about his dad. He trusts them, and he’s always so sad when they leave. He doesn’t show it, showing his tears are a weakness in his current foster father’s eyes, but he always cries for a solid hour when Mike and Carrie leave. He’s always so surprised when they come back too. 

On their fifth visit they bring their daughters Catherine and Jamie with them. Cat’s three years older than him, but she plays with him on each visit, and she seems nice. Jamie is almost one, and she loves using Pete to pull up on. She grins at him every time she does it, and Pete can’t help but smile at her. After their tenth visit, his social worker asks if he’d like to go live with them. He doesn’t believe it, doesn’t believe they could want him full time, but he’s honest and says yes. A week later they’re in front of a judge, and he has to answer a bunch of questions honestly. When it’s over, Carrie pulls him into a hug that’s so tight, he’s sure he’s going to snap in half. “Want to go get your stuff kiddo?” Mike asks. 

“I’ve got it,” he says nodding to the backpack that’s beside him. 

He sees Mike and Carrie share a look, and he’s afraid he’s already messed up. 

“Tomorrow we’ll go shopping; or maybe when we’re back home.” 

“I’m fine,” Pete promises. He has all his important mementos and pictures in his backpack with two pairs of jeans and shirts. 

Mike gently squeezes his shoulder, but he agrees with Carrie. “Let’s get back to the room, get some food, and book the tickets home.” 

It’s a whirlwind after that, and before Pete knows it, he has his own room in a house on the beach in California. His room is between the girls, and they let him decorate it anyway he wants. It takes several months of being there, probably closer to a year if he’s being honest, before he relaxes into the fact that his room isn’t going anywhere. He starts putting his pictures out on the dresser. There’s the one of him and his dad with his dad’s plane in the background. Then there’s the one picture of the three of them where they were happy. When he comes home from school one day, he finds them in a frame next to his bed and he tries not to cry. He finds Carrie in the kitchen cooking; “Thank you,” he tells her quietly from the doorway. 

“For what sweetheart?” 

“Putting my pictures in a frame. I… I was always afraid they’d get ruined and I’d lose them.” 

Carrie kneels down for a hug, but she always waits for him to come to her. Pete runs into her arms, clinging tight. 

“You’ll never have to worry about losing them again Pete. We can even make some copies just in case, if you want.” 

Pete nods against her shoulder, as he buries his face in her neck. “Thank you mama,” he whispers. 

It’s the first time he has called her that, even though both she and Mike have told him they would be more than happy with whatever he called them, but that it was ok to think of them as mom and dad now. She hugs him tighter trying not to cry, and that is how Mike finds them after getting Cat started on her homework and getting some hugs from his two year old. 

“Everything ok?” he asks quietly, so as not to startle Pete. 

“Yea…. Yea. Everything is perfect,” Carrie gets out. Thankfully, Pete doesn’t notice the tears in her voice, but Mike does. He cocks his eyebrow at her, and she gives him a watery smile. 

Even though he’s almost ten now, Carrie picks him up and holds him. Mike walks closer and wraps his arms around them both. Pete lets out a shuddering breath as he clings to Carrie tighter. He feels safe; he feels loved, and he has for the last year. 

After a few minutes, Pete wiggles down, giving them a blinding smile before he’s off to do his own homework with Cat while Jamie runs around their feet. 

“What happened?” Mike asks once Pete is gone and Carrie falls into his arms letting the tears fall. 

“He thanked me for the picture frame and called me mama.” 

Mike’s arms tighten around her and he smiles. It took a little longer than they expected, but Pete was finally settled; he was home. 

It takes another year before he calls Mike “dad.” Pete had been sick, and Carrie couldn’t get out of work for the day. Even though it was generally frowned upon, Mike had brought him to base to rest in his office while he had class. He didn’t have any hops that day, so he figured it would be fine. When Mike comes back from class, Pete is curled on the couch in Mike’s sweatshirt, looking awful. 

“Alright kiddo, ready to go home?” Mike asks, brushing the hair off his forehead. 

Pete is burning up, so Mike gets him some more meds and then helps him up. It’s a struggle to get Pete to take them, but he finally manages to get them down, and he rests his head against Mike’s abdomen where he’s standing in front of Pete. His fingers are brushing through Pete’s hair in the way that always calms him, and Pete lets out a shuddering breath. “Don’t feel good, Dad,” he whines. 

Mike has to force himself not to react and freak Pete out, but he feels the lump in his throat all the same. “I know bud. Let’s get you home and into bed. How’s that sound?”

“Will you stay?” Pete whispers. 

“As long as you want,” Mike promises. He helps Pete up, and gives him his aviators to hide behind even though they’re way too big on the kid, and then leads him out of the office. Once home, Pete curls into his side in bed and promptly falls asleep. That’s how Carrie finds them once she gets home. 

At sixteen, Pete starts asking Mike questions about the Academy and joining the Navy. He wanted to be a pilot just like both his dads. Mike was more than pleased to answer any and all of Pete’s questions, and he snuck him on base over summer break more than he probably should’ve. But Pete had him wrapped around his little finger since the day he was born. Mike worked for those two years to get the mission he’d flown with Duke declassified so the truth could be revealed, but it was to no avail. He knew the rumors that swirled around the Navy, and he knew Pete was going to have a hard go at it, but he was still surprised when the rejection letter came. To say Pete was heartbroken was an understatement, and when he asked Mike why he thought he didn’t get in, Mike told him the truth as much as it killed him. Mike watched his carefree teenager transform before his eyes. It was the same stubbornness and determination he’d seen in his long deceased wingman that shown in his kids eyes now, and he knew nothing would stop Pete from finding a way. 

What did surprise him was Pete wanting to cut off all contact with them. Pete thought he was protecting Mike and explained it as such. Carrie was able to convince Pete that he was still able to write to her or the girls so they didn’t lose full contact with him, and Mike was relieved. He wasn’t ready to let his kid go just yet. Pete fast tracked through college, and before Mike knew it, his kid was in flight school. It was there that he met Nick and Carole, who took him into their little family like it was nothing. Mike was glad to see him gaining friends and support outside of them, and he hoped it would be a good thing for Pete. Nick and Pete seemed to click so well, and Mike wasn’t all that surprised when he’d heard they were a pilot/RIO pair. He even understood when Pete changed his emergency contacts to Nick and Carole, even if it broke Carrie’s heart just a bit.

Out of flight school, they had a brief station at Pensacola, and it was there that Pete met Tom Kazansky. He’d mostly kept his sexuality to himself as a teenager, but his older sister knew he tended to favor males. He had a suspicion that Mike and Carrie knew as well, but they’d never said anything, so he didn’t either. While it could get him a dishonorable discharge if anyone in the Navy found out, Pete made sure to always be discrete. Hence why Nick didn’t even know. But one look at Tom Kazansky, and Pete knew he had to have him. It took a couple of weeks and several, several, nights at a bar and nightclub, but Pete finally succeeded and got his man. It was one of the hottest and greatest nights of his life if he’s being honest, but the next day, he and Nick were restationed, leaving Tom behind. 

In between deployments, he would sometimes sneak home for a short visit; Carrie insisting on seeing him alive with her own eyes. It always felt great coming home, but he was always worried his connection to them would be discovered and he’d ruin Mike’s career. It was the last thing he wanted, knowing how hard his dad had worked for that top position at Top Gun, so he spent a lot of his leaves on his own or with Nick and Carole. They’d done three years of random length deployments, Mav making a name for himself in the Navy and trying to out fly Duke’s ghost, before they were sent to Top Gun. It felt odd knowing he’d actually been the second choice, and if it hadn’t been for Cougar turning in his wings, he’d still be waiting for his chance. But Mav was beyond ecstatic to be going home, and to finally be able to fly with his dad.

[starsurface]

Super fun idea (imo) - soft play! 🎠🪁Could you do MK1 Johnny Cage with a baby regressor (and toddler if that's fine) at one? Ty!

Hi!! Yes, I'm so sorry for how late this is!!! :(

This is a Johnny Cage w/ Babyspace Regressor pt 2, but the first for Toddlerspace Regressor!!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

CG Johnny Cage MK1 w/ Baby(pt 2)-Toddlerspace Regressor Hcs

⭐ He loves any and all regressors, but toddlers are his best fit!!! He’s really good with baby regressors too!!

⭐ We’ll focus on toddler regressor for a second:

⭐ Energetic toddlers that like to run around his house? My, my your energetic!! Thank goodness your Dada can keep up because he’s just that awesome! 😎

⭐ A crafty toddler? Amazing!! He loves crafty regressors, toddler or baby!!

⭐ Your making a mac and cheese picture? Wait a minute, is that his mac and cheese? Did you ask to use that? . . . Maybe he can let it go this one, his baby’s work looks so gorgeous!!

⭐ A sneaky toddler or baby? Now, now Mister/Missy, just don’t do anything too bad now!!

⭐ He finds it really funny when you try to sneakily grab an extra piece of candy, but your giggling a bit too loudly and he can obviously tell what your doing . . . But he won’t stop you . . Atleast this time

⭐ He’ll let you wear his sunglasses!! You can look just as awesome as your Dada!! 💪

⭐ Karaoke? Or regressors that like singing? Disney song night!!! He’ll even help you with the big kid words!

⭐ Now, some baby regressor focus!!

⭐ For crafty littler regressors, he’ll help guide your hand, or will happily accept a pretty scribbled picture!! He’ll even frame it after it’s happy time on the fridge!! :D

⭐ He’ll get you separate sunglasses, but the exact same as his

⭐ Not that he doesn’t trust you!! . . . But some babies chew . . And he likes his sunglasses, darling

⭐ Any kind of padding you need, he will never, ever, be mean to you about!!

⭐ In fact, I once said in my CG Johnny Cage w/ Padding Regressor Hcs that if you ever felt embarrassed about padding, he’d wear one with you just to show you that they’re not bad

⭐ ^ I stand by this Hc, he’s got the (loving) ego for it

⭐ Plus he’s your Dada!! He can’t have his baby feeling icky or embarrassed about something they shouldn’t be!! And he’ll do whatever he can to make sure your okay!!

⭐ Ugh, bottle-feeding 🥺

⭐ He loves bottle-feeding you, you on his lap, or your head on his lap, near naptime or just while watching a movie, his baby in his arms <3

⭐ Some general Baby/Toddler Hcs now:

⭐ He finds it really funny if you try to copy him

⭐ You flex in the mirror after he flexes? Now you two are giggling and flexing your muscles!! 💪

⭐ The only thing he doesn’t like is his own potty mouth, it’s not a bad habit, but sometimes some no-no words slip . . . Let’s not repeat Dada’s big kid no-no words, alright, Sweetheart?

⭐ He’ll buy you custom items!!

⭐ A plushie from a show you really like? He can get one exactly like it, he likes seeing you happy!

⭐ Custom-designed pacis or sippies/bottles too!! Whatever design or aesthetic - Whatever you want really! How can he say no to his baby’s happiness? He has the money 🥺

⭐ One of you two’s a cuddle bug, and it’s not always you

⭐ Johnny’s a MASSIVE cuddlebug, especially when you're small!! (although all the time really)

⭐ Sometimes Johnny fears that the Pappirazzi will find out about your regression, and he’s already made an entire plan in his head (especially one where they look bad)

⭐ ^ It would never come to this, he makes sure of it

⭐ Which is why he’ll take you out sometimes when your small!! Maybe a bit more for older kiddos or age dreamers, but a trip to McDonalds won’t hurt anyone

⭐ Restablishing, but his favorite activity with all regressors is

⭐ Have you seen his wardrobe? He’s got fashion (and costumes!!)

⭐ With baby regressors he’ll get soft onesies, or character onesies, and help you have a fashion show by carrying you on your make shift run way

⭐ Toddler regressors he’ll get some cute outfits, or costumes like his Indiana Jones one, and cheer as you put on a show for him and his stuffies (they all loved your rpeformance by the way!!)

⭐ Baby or toddler, he’ll try to always carry

⭐ Your his baby, he’s Johnny Cage, why would you need to walk or crawl when your Dada’s a big, strong, action movie star? 🥺

⭐ One of his little nicknames for you would be Superstar!! <3

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Sorry for the long no posting guys, I had a hard time writing for some reason these past few days. But don't worry!! I'll post more soon!! Finals schedule is coming up so I should be able to write some things during that time, hopefully. <3

[spn-fanfic-reblog-writes]

Hihi!! Can i req for kinktober 8. fuck or die with sam Winchester or castiel (idm) the readers dying and only there onsolved feelings for sam or cas is the only way to save (if you get me 🙇‍♀️🩷)

Thank you for the ask, Anon! ❤️❤️❤️

I was already planning to do a similar version but I like yours better. Here ya go!

Warning: heterosexual sex (p in v), unprotected sex, wrap it up, kiddos! nipple play, tw: love curse, tw: physical pain, tw: person dying, schmoopy, Angst and Fluff and Smut

Day 8: Sex Pollen/Fuck or Die, (Ask request)

“Sam, it hurts.”

Y/n looked pale as he held her in his arms with his cell phone pressed between his ear and shoulder.

“Hello, Dearie.”

“Rowena, Y/n got hit with a curse…” Sam proceeded to explain the events that led up to now, including Castiel being unable to heal her or affect the spell cast on her.

“Oh, Darling,” Rowena trilled. “You’re gonna need to make love to the lass.”

“What?!” Sam squeaked. He’d had a crush on Y/n since meeting her, nearly a year ago, finding her cute, and kind, and they seemed to have similar interests in books and research. From the first time he saw her smile, he was caught in her web, and she had no idea.

“You heard me, Samuel.” She paused for a few moments, realizing the situation as Sam remained silent. “You have feelings for her?”

Sam eyed Y/n, who was wrapped in a blanket in his arms, dozing.

“Yes,” he confirmed, quietly on the phone. “I can’t let her die, Rowena.”

“Oh, you poor boy. I told you what you have to do, but there is a catch, Samuel, darling.”

Sam silently waited.

“She has to have feelings for you in return. The spell is a sort of curse and love spell. If the other doesn’t reciprocate, it kills the one who is cursed. You have 24 hours at most from when the spell is cast upon them, and you both have to admit your feelings for each other.”

Sam felt the blood in his face drain away at the realization they were extremely short on time. It had been six hours already as he had scoured the library’s card catalog before calling the witch.

“HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT? SHE KEEPS FALLING ASLEEP AND CAN BARELY EAT!” Sam quietly yelled through gritted teeth, waking Y/n who looked up at him; however, he didn’t notice.

“Samuel.” Rowena quietly informed, “The spell will allow you to make love once things…get going or said. Trust me. This is the only way to break the curse. You can do this. While I haven’t met her, I’m certain she has feelings for you too.” Rowena almost sounded as if she was lamenting.

“Thanks, Rowena,” Sam replied quietly as he contemplated how to save Y/n.

Dean saw Sam hang up and looked at him expectantly.

“I’ll explain later. I got this,” Sam informed Dean.

Sam looked down to the now awake Y/n, who watched him.

“Are you ok?” she asked softly. Her weakened state making even talking troublesome.

Sam’s face softened—amazed that she was worried about him despite her dying—and nodded. He kissed her hair. “Yes. We need to get you to your room and settled in bed.”

Without a word or warning, Sam changed his arm placement and picked Y/n up bridal style causing her to yelp. He grinned at her. “I’ve got you, Y/n. Nothing is gonna hurt you if I can help it.”

Dean and Castiel secretly smiled at each other and held hands under the library table.

While Sam walked to Y/n’s room in the bunker, he thought back about his interactions with Y/n, wondering if she feels the same way about him. They’d been spending more time together over the last few months. They'd been texting each other daily and Y/n would always text good morning and good night to him. He began to feel confident that she felt the same way, but getting her to admit those feelings might be harder.

By the time Sam put Y/n down in her bed, she had fallen asleep again. Her body was shutting down. He sat down next to her and gently caressed her face, calling her name.

Y/n blinked a few times before awakening to see Sam smiling at her, and she smiled back and placed her hand on his hand on her face. “Hi,” she greeted, her eyes soft and her cheeks barely pink.

Is she blushing? Sam wondered.

“Hi,” Sam returned.

“What did Rowena say?”

Sam dropped his hand away from her face as he spoke. “She said it was a love curse.”

Y/n looked at her lap. “Oh. What does that mean?”

Sam sighed and clarified, “Rowena said that you would need to admit your feelings to who you’re in love with and…and…make love.” He could feel his face heating up as he looked towards her nightstand, then back at her.

Y/n eyebrows rose into her hairline, her slightly pinkened cheeks darkening. She remained silent a moment, then winced and whined at the pain in her abdomen. “I don’t understand how, Sam.”

“She said the curse will allow you, once things start going. If there is someone we need to call or get, I’m sure Cas will go get them.”

She smiled widely and looked at him, placing her hand on his cheek.

“Sam,” she gently chided. “There isn’t anyone else.”

His heart raced on his chest as his cooling face began to heat up. “What do you mean?”

Y/n knew if she was going to live, it was now or never as her heart rate increased. Her chest started aching but she ignored it. “You.” she explained, her voice trembling. “Ever since I met you, it’s been you.”

Sam took this as permission. He leaned down and brushed his lips, chastely, against hers. His stomach fluttered with butterflies and bees. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down on top of her. Her chest warmed and tension faded away. It was so much easier to breathe. He bracketed her in with his arms, knees between her legs, tangling his fingers in her soft y/c hair. The kiss reassured her as her body felt to be tentatively improving. She tightened her arms further as her strength returned, crushing her lips against his, and moaned. He slid his tongue against hers and a dance ensued as they devoured each other.

Y/n captured Sam’s moans as she pushed her chest against him. Pulling away from him, she looked up and smiled. “I think we should, um…” She looked away, unable to complete the sentence.

“Right,” Sam agreed, realizing what she meant. He sat on his haunches, removed his plaid, and pulled off his shirt. Y/n turned to watch him at his words with an eyebrow raised and chewing on her lower lip. “Y/n.” He chuckled at her watching him.

“Right,” she agreed. She grabbed the front hem and pulled off her shirt revealing a spaghetti strap undershirt.

“You don’t wear a bra?” Sam asked.

“Do I look like I need to wear a bra?” She asked incredulously, and grabbed her breasts through the undershirt. She giggled, “It’s not like I got a lot here.”

“I don’t know. I think I need a better look to judge for sure.” he teased, acting playfully thoughtful.

She pulled off her undershirt revealing her chest. Her breasts, while on the small side, seemed to be the perfect size for Sam, just enough to fill his hand. He squeezed slightly and grinned. “I think you’re perfect.”

Y/n could feel her face heat up at the compliment.

With his other hand, Sam tilted Y/n face up to him and tenderly kissed her. Y/n pushed him away, frustrated. “Sam, we need to speed this up. I’m already starting to feel…weird.”

“Weird, how?”

“I don’t know. Not like myself. Just like before. Off.” She couldn’t figure out how to explain it but remembers a similar feeling hours earlier before the pain started. Determined to get the show on the road, Y/n repositioned herself to be kneeling and pulled Sam down to her. She skipped his lips and went for his neck, sucking marks in his skin across his jugular then his Adam’s apple. Sam gasped in surprise, then moaned, causing her to chuckle.

You’re mine, Sam.

Sam was stunned at her directness and desire for him. His hands sat at her hips. She moved slowly from one side of his neck to the other.

And I’m yours.

Sliding her hands down his arms, squeezing and feeling their strength and definition, she grabbed his wrists, slid one to her ass, and the other to her breast, squeezing his hands. He finished rebooting and pinched her nipple, gently rolling it between his thumb and forefinger while he massaged her asscheek. Y/n moaned into his neck, then nipped and licked his shoulder.

She slid her hands down his chest, stopping to trace his defined abdominal muscles. The feel of his muscles went straight to her core and she could feel that she suddenly soaked her panties. She had a muscle kink and never told anyone since it was very superficial. She went to his belt, unbuckling it blindly while she nibbled his collarbone. She popped open the button, then slowly pulled his zipper down.

Surprised, he glanced down, seeing her finger the edge of his boxer-briefs. “Y/n, you’re moving fast.”

Y/n pulled back. “Sam, take off my pants,” she commanded, then hesitantly asked, “Can I take off yours?”

She grinned and worked his underwear and pants down together. His large cock sprung out and she stopped to stare. “Holy shit.”

Now it was Sam’s turn to blush. He had never gotten that reaction before. He worked to remove her pants and she helped. Once they were both naked, they took each other in for a few moments.

“Is there anything you don’t like?” inquired Y/n.

This was not going how he imagined it but answered anyway. “Uh…not that I can think of right now. If you do something I don’t like, I’ll let you know.”

“Same,” she confirmed.

“You?” he asked.

“Um, no penetrating my ass this time around. Need to clean up.”

“Ok.”

Things stalled a bit for Sam but not for Y/n. She wrapped her hand around his girth, stroking his length. Sam practically growled at her action. She bit her lower lip and giggled. She leaned forward, licking the underside from base to tip then engulfed the tip in her mouth. He growl-groaned at the sensation. Since she was unable to communicate, she grabbed his hand and placed it on the back of her head. He instantly grabbed the back of her hair, pulling her off.

“If you keep that up, I’m not gonna last.”

She failed to hide her grin, never having had someone react so strongly to her. “Then fuck me, Sam.”

Sam leaned forward and picked her up as he sat back on his heels. Y/n’s breath trembled and a shiver went down her spine at the change. He cocked a brow at her but she just held on to his shoulders as he did the same to her thighs and ass

“Y/n, I need to tell you something.”

“Sam,” she begged and squirmed in his hands and arms. “Please.” She wrapped her legs around him and he lined his cock up to her entrance, lowering her.

They both groaned the moment he began to penetrate her hot, wet heat. The burn from Sam’s large size felt amazing, especially once he bottomed out. She took a few slow, deep breaths, having never felt so full.

“Are you ok?” Sam asked, concerned.

Her pupils were dilated with barely any y/e/c shown. “So full,” she panted and squirmed on his cock. “Please, Sam. Please fuck me.”

Sam slowly thrust into her soaked channel at first. Throwing her head back, she closed her eyes and moaned. Once he started to speed up, she panted and whined. “More,” she begged.

He gently laid her down on the bed, bringing her further up his thighs, and thrust into her with force. The strength of his thrusts sent lightning down his spine to his groin. He knew he was close. She screamed with pleasure, encouraging Sam to continue. She brought her hands to her nipples, rolling them around and pinching them. He pressed open-mouth kisses across her chest and left marks from his teeth on the inside of both her breasts with licks from his tongue.

She carded fingers through Sam’s hair, damp from sweat, and scratched his scalp, causing him to groan. Her hand goes rubbing her clit. He gasped at her walls clenching around him and this pushed her over the brink, crashing and burning as she screamed through her release. The sight of her — beautiful and sexy— was such that he, too, grunted and exploded, filling her full.

Sam bracketed her in again with his hands on either side of her shoulders. He huffed and panted, trying to catch his breath. She smiled blissfully at him. She raised a finger and lightly touched his cheek. “How are you?”

He huffed a laugh. “Great.”

Her hand dropped to her chest and she panted, “Me too.”

He leaned down, brushing his lips against hers, and rubbed his nose against hers. She lightly giggled.

“I love you, Sam.” She told him like it was an everyday thing they told each other.

He smiled widely, “I love you, Y/n.”

::::

The next afternoon, Y/n was in the library reading in Sam’s lap, snuggled against him.

“How are the lovebirds?” Dean teased.

“We’re good,” replied Y/n. She grabbed her cell, looked at it, then put it down. “Five more minutes,” she informed Sam.

He kissed the top of her head. “Ok.”

“Five more minutes until what?” asked Castiel.

“We’re making sure the curse is broken and there is a time limit on it. While we don’t know the exact time, we have an idea of when it was, give or take, so just waiting it out to make sure.”

Dean and Cas chuckled. “Mind if we wait with you?”

“Of course, the more the merrier,” replied Y/n. Dean and Castiel sat down next to each other. Castiel on Dean’s laptop and Dean on his phone as they held hands under the table

[emmies-agere]

Can you do a cg!hero hc with a regressor that uses alot of gear?? I love ur writing!!

—🎀

hi 🎀 anon! of course :) i tried to just write general caregiver hero headcanons while also incorporating the gear prompt, so i hope that was okay. i hope you like it— have a nice day! <3

caregiver hero headcanons! (with a regressor that uses a lot of gear)

•hero is a very patient and kind caregiver! he’s always looking out for you and his voice softens when he speaks to you, in a way that it does for no one else

•he’ll do a bunch of cheesy things, like waking you up from a nap with a stuffie attack, or arranging your meals to look silly (making a smiley face with blueberries, using cut in half sandwiches for cat ears, cooking pancakes into hearts, etc.)

•speaking of which— you would never go hungry around hero! he makes three meals a day and probably knows every snack recipe ever... somehow...

•he loves using pet names for you!! his favorite are honey, sweetheart and baby.

•hero wouldn’t mind that you used a lot of gear! he’s happy that you have things that help you and make you feel more comfortable in your regression.

•it makes it easier for him to bring spare items of things! like if you slipped away from home or something. he has a bag of little gear in a nonchalant pocket of his car, so if you ever needed a paci, plushie, or toy— you’ve got it!

•would absolutely help you shop for any little gear. unfortunately, he doesn’t trust you with online shopping when you’re regressed, so he always makes sure he’s there to supervise haha!

•he’ll tell you which items he thinks look nice and help you with keywords that help you find exactly what you’re looking for!

•hero would do any activity you wanted when regressed! you wanted to play tag? you two are running in the backyard! you want to bake cookies? he’s got an apron on before you can even get to the kitchen. you want to do his makeup/play dress up? doll him up, kiddo! he’s got no shame about it and he loves spending time with you <3

•sometimes, he’ll come home from a grocery trip with a few little items for you. he knows how much they mean to you and he’s sure to pick out color schemes, textures, and items you really like!

•i think he would be a very comforting caregiver. if you tripped and scraped your knee, he’d calmly clean it up and stick a band-aid on you. if you ever ended up regressing from stress or discomfort, he would ask if he could hold you before wrapping his arms around you if you said yes, hushing you gently and rubbing your back.

•on the same topic, i think he’d be pretty physically affectionate! he understands if you don’t want him to touch you or if you’re sometimes just not up for it, but if you are, then trust that he’ll be kissing your cheek, holding your hand and never turning down cuddles <3

•definitely reads you bedtime stories. he’ll sit at the edge of your bed/curl up beside you and read you a story. he’s particularly fond of goodnight moon and the very hungry caterpillar!

•he’d gently remind you about things, like to not put your fingers in your mouth and instead ask him for a paci, or when you should maybe stop eating sugar so you don’t get a stomach-ache

•overall, hero is a very sweet caregiver. he only wants the best for you and will always be there if you need anything. he loves you very much <3

[hbyrde36]

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 8

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 ao3 link

*Steve*

As soon as Steve set foot back into the trailer, Eleven launched herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her instinctively, feeling the way her body shook subtly under his grip.

Shit. 

He hadn’t thought about how it would feel for her to watch him walk right out of the house after Eddie, leaving her behind with total strangers after everything they’d been through. He suspected her reaction wasn’t only about him either. Eddie meant something to her, even if he didn’t remember, and she had been so little when they’d last been together. It didn’t change the fact that she had found this person again who she’d thought was dead for so long, and then he ran away. 

“I’m so sorry, El. I didn’t even think. I just wanted to make sure he was okay.”

She shook her head as best she could, while remaining tightly pressed to his chest. “It’s okay. I’m glad you went after him. He needed you. I just got scared.”

Steve’s eyes flitted to the kitchen where Chief Hopper now sat sipping coffee with Claudia, the man having arrived while he and Eddie were outside. He was sure that the sudden appearance of a cop had spooked El too. 

Steve pulled back a little from their hug so he could look her in the eye. “Still, I'm sorry. I’ll always come back to you, no matter what happens, I promise. We’re going to be okay. We’ll keep each other safe, and we’ll keep Eddie safe too.”

“How?”

“I haven't quite figured that part out yet, kiddo, but I believe in us.”

El cracked a weak smile. “Me too.”

He walked with her back over to join Dustin on the couch. The poor kid couldn’t stop staring at her, as if he couldn’t believe she was real. 

Which was fair. 

Dustin was also practically vibrating with the need to ask questions, but when he did finally speak, it was only out of concern for his cousin. 

“Is Eddie going to be ok?” He asked.

“Yea, buddy, He’ll be okay. It’s just a lot.” Steve said, trying his best to sound reassuring. He wasn’t sure he knew Eddie well enough to make that kind of assumption, but he did know for his own part, that he would do everything he could to make it true.

Dustin nodded like he understood. “Thank you for helping him. I know how Eddie looks, and how he can come off sometimes, but he’s a lot more sensitive than people give him credit for.”

They all looked up as Eddie and his uncle reentered the trailer. Steve met Eddie's gaze for a moment over the short distance of the room. His eyes were a little bloodshot, as if he’d been crying again, and Steve wished that they could let it all be, at least for the day. 

He wanted to give Eddie a break to try to process everything that had happened so far before piling on, but Hopper was there now for whatever reason, and there was still so much that they needed to talk about. Not to mention the ever looming threat of another attack on El from One.

Eddie glared at Hopper for a moment before addressing his Uncle. “You wanna tell me what he’s doing here?”

Wayne let out a long suffering sigh. “Jim’s known about you since the beginning, son. He helped to hide you and supplied us with the paperwork and whatever else we needed to sell our story and get you enrolled in school.”

It was apparent that knowing all that didn’t change Eddie's feelings towards the man at all. He scowled as Hopper approached. Steve got the sense that there was history between the two of them, and clearly not all of it good. 

“I know you’ve never trusted me, kid.” Hopper began. “And I'm sure that’s worse now because I tried to stop you from looking for Harrington here, but you have to know now that it was all for your own good. We couldn’t risk the wrong people noticing what you were up to and accidentally putting the pieces together.”

What? 

Steve’s heart started to pound as he stared at the side of Eddie’s face. “You looked for me?” 

“Oh yeah, he broke into your old house to investigate and everything” Wayne supplied with a wink, nudging his nephew’s shoulder.

Eddie’s cheeks turned red. 

“Wayne!” He hissed, finally turning his head to look at Steve with a sheepish smile. All he could do was stare back in amazement, because Eddie had been looking for him. This sweet guy, who barely knew him, had cared enough to not only wonder what had happened, but actively tried to find out. It did occur to Steve that it might not mean anything, and could have had more to do with El and the latent powers Eddie likely had that they were yet to really speak on, but for now he chose to believe that maybe it could mean something.

Eddie’s smile fell abruptly as he gave his attention back to Hopper. ”Wait, why would looking for him have put me in danger?”

The answer came to Steve in an instant, and he couldn’t stop from blurting it out at the chief. “You knew I was at the lab.”

Hopper squeezed his eyes shut and slowly nodded, guilt coming off of him in waves. “I didn’t know right away, it was a few weeks before I put the pieces together. Ultimately it was the security footage from that diner you went to that confirmed it for me. As you can imagine, after Eddie came along I did a little digging into Hawkins Lab to try and figure out what was going on there. I didn’t get very far before I was asked by an old military contact to drop it. Actually, I was told to mind my own fucking business, or else, but I did learn a thing or two along the way about the man in charge, Dr. Brenner. I recognized him on that tape, and when I saw you two leave with him, I figured I had my answer.”

Eddie’s eyes grew dark as he got up in Hopper’s face. “You son of a bitch! You knew he was there all this time and you didn’t do anything about it?!” What kind of cop are you?!”

Without hesitation, Steve stepped between them, lightly placing his hands on the other boy’s shoulders. 

“Eddie, stop. It’s okay. He couldn’t have gotten me out of there anyway. Not without getting himself killed. You don’t know what it’s like in that place. I’m glad you don’t remember. Part of me hopes you never remember because you deserve so much better than having grown up in that hell hole. I wouldn’t have wanted him to risk exposing you, they have to know you’re out there somewhere. I know it’s been years but these people don’t give up that easily.” 

Eddie’s eyes had gone soft again as Steve spoke, but he didn’t say anything. Steve wondered briefly if he had overstepped. He didn't think so, but it was hard to tell what Eddie was thinking.

“I’m sorry, Steve.” Hopper said, drawing their attention again. “More sorry than I can say. How’d you manage to get out?”

Steve gave them all a quick but detailed description of their escape, ending with running into Eddie at Skull Rock. He hesitated to mention the attack on El, not ready to get into that quite yet. He wanted to hear more about Eddie’s dreams, and this game he and the kids had been playing first. He had a feeling that Vecna, as Eddie had called him, was Henry/One, but he couldn’t be sure so he brushed past it, saying that something had gone wrong in the lab that day. El looked at him questioningly but said nothing, and neither Eddie or Wayne brought up that none of it explained why she’d been covered in blood.

“That’s amazing!” Dustin exclaimed when it was all done. He turned to Eddie. “And you just happened to be there at Skull Rock, what are the odds! What were you doing there anyway?”

Eddie shrugged. “I don’t know really, your dumb list probably put the idea in my head.”

“No, it’s gotta have something to do with your powers.”

Eddie stiffened, but tried to play it off. “Who said anything about powers?”

Dustin continued, oblivious to Eddie’s discomfort. “Well, it’s like our game, right? El can move stuff with her mind.” He said, waving a hand in the girl’s direction.

“What game?” Hopper asked, though his question went ignored.

“Yes.” El answered, raising her palm towards the coffee table and the several very breakable mugs that sat on its surface. Steve quickly reached out to push her arm down. “You don’t have to demonstrate sweetie.” He said. 

Dustin glared at Steve, betrayed at being denied the opportunity to see Eleven in action, before returning to his argument with Eddie. “How else would you have known about El and the lab? Boom! Powers.”

The kid wasn’t wrong, but his tone left something to be desired. 

“Don’t get cocky.” Eddie muttered. “It’s probably just subconscious memories or some shit.”

Steve caught Eddie’s eye and they shared a look. They both knew it wasn’t memories, but he wouldn’t push if Eddie wasn’t ready to deal with it yet. 

This kid, however, was stubborn and had no such misgivings.

“No, that doesn’t make sense. You knew about El’s escape in ‘83! That didn’t happen until way after mom…” Dustin trailed off.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas.

“Oh. My. God. Are the demogorgons real too? And demodogs? Is the whole Upside-Down real?!” His face went through a complicated series of emotions, caught for a split second between glee at the idea that the world was suddenly far more magical than he realized, and horror, because, monsters.

“Demo-whats?” Hopper asked.

Dustin flapped a hand dismissively in his direction. “The monsters from our game.”

“WHAT GAME?!” Hopper bellowed.

The room fell quiet, finally giving the Chief the attention he wanted following his outburst. 

It was Eddie who broke the silence, taking the lead to explain. “There’s a game that the boys and I play, we, uh, well, it’s hard to explain. To make a very long story short, some of the things I thought I made up for the game are apparently... real.”

Hopper looked skeptical. “Like what?” 

“Eleven, for starters.” Eddie began. “The whole thing about the lab and her escaping? That was in there. It’s like..” He paused to think, and made a waffling motion with his hand. “We blended fantasy and reality, right? So we each play a version of ourselves, and all the other non-player characters are modeled after other people.”

Eddie’s eyes flicked to Steve right before he covered his face with his hands.

“God, this is so embarrassing. If I ever thought I’d have to explain any of this to other people…”

Steve couldn't bear to see Eddie spiraling again, so he tried to be supportive. “How bad could it be?”

Eddie raised his eyebrows and Steve almost laughed at himself. It had been a morning full of bad things and big revelations, so maybe that hadn’t been the smartest thing to say. Still, he needed to know.

“It could be important, who knows what else you picked up on that might turn out to be true or real?”

“I have notes for every part of the campaign so far but...” Eddie chewed nervously on his bottom lip.

“But?” Steve prompted.

Eddie blew out a long breath. “Fuck, I guess theres no way around this. You’re all in it.”

“Including you, Steve. You're one of the main characters besides the boys and El. You have been pretty much since the beginning. I’m sorry, I know that’s weird.”

It probably shouldn't have been such a surprise, what with everything else that had gone on so far, but Steve was shocked. A warmth blossomed in his chest at the idea.

“Don’t be sorry. That’s really cool.” Steve assured him.

Eddie’s mouth dropped open.

“Wait, really?”

Steve shuffled his feet, hoping that it didn’t show on his face just how pleased he was to know that Eddie had spent a significant part of the past two years thinking about and creating something that involved him.

“Yeah, it’s sort of flattering actually.”

Eddie grinned shyly and Steve couldn’t look away. 

Wayne loudly cleared his throat. “As sweet as this is to watch, boys, maybe you should go get those notes you were talking about, Ed.”

Eddie’s face went beet red, and he stomped off down the hall without a word. He returned quickly, with a noticeable blush still coloring his cheeks. He walked straight past Hopper, who was looking at him expectantly, and handed the short stack of notebooks to Steve before plopping down on the couch, trying not to look at anyone. 

Claudia got up abruptly, gathering her purse as she spoke. “Come on Dusty, we have to get going if you're going to make it to school on time.” The woman had been quiet for so long, Steve almost forgot she was there.

“Mom, are you crazy?” Dustin shouted. “We just found out that monsters are real. There's no way I'm going to school today!”

She opened her mouth to argue, but Hopper beat her to the punch.

“Oh yes you are. I don’t know anything about this monster stuff, but I do know a thing or two about the very real threat to all of us that is Hawkins lab. The best thing everyone can do for now to protect this whole... situation, is to go on about your lives as normal as possible, and do not draw attention to yourselves.” The last part was aimed at Eddie who pretended to ignore them all, suddenly fascinated with the hem of his own t-shirt. 

Dustin floundered. “Does Eddie have to go to school?” 

“Absolutely not.” Eddie said, finally looking up to glare at his cousin.

Hopper looked like he was going to protest that too, but then thought better of it and shrugged. “Eddie skips class enough that not attending school is just as normal as if he were to go.”

“Is that true, boy?” Wayne huffed.

“Unbelievable.” Eddie mumbled before getting up to open the door and usher everyone who wasn’t staying outside. “Okay Hop, well thanks for stopping by, don’t you have a job to get to - CHIEF?!”

Dustin begrudgingly agreed to leave with promises that he’d be back right after school to continue talking about this, and followed Hopper outside to the cars. Claudia hesitated in the doorway, smiling up at Eddie with shining eyes.

“I have never for one second regretted getting you out of that place and bringing you home. It’s the best thing I've ever done, right up there with having my little Dusty. You bring light into all of our lives and I'm so proud to call you family. I love you, honey.” She pinched his cheek and left.

Steve hung back, feeling like an intruder on the private moment happening so close by, but he couldn’t help listening. He was just so in awe of these people, of this unconventional family brought together by sheer chance, who’d protected a little boy no questions asked and loved each other so fiercely. 

Wayne yawned loudly. “Okay, kids, I'm gonna head to bed now before I keel over.”

“You’re not going to give me shit about skipping school?” Eddie asked.

“If you really think that’s the first I've heard of it then you’re thicker than I thought. I wasn’t born yesterday, I know what you get up to. I’m just happy that you stopped selling drugs before I was forced to knock some sense into you.”

Eddie balked. “You knew?!”

Wayne cackled as he turned the corner towards his bedroom.

“I would like to go back to bed too.” El said.

“You can take my bed again.” Eddie offered.

She looked at the two of them in turn. “Will you come with me? I don’t want to be alone.”

It was unthinkable to say no to her, so the three of them piled into Eddie's room. Eleven settled down on the bed and was out like a light almost immediately. At Eddie's insistence, Steve took the desk chair and readied himself for the task ahead, while the other boy paced and puttered around the room.

He wasn’t sure how long it took, but Steve read straight through all four notebooks without taking so much as a single break. It was riveting, the story that Eddie and his friends had weaved. He had already known a few of the parallels he was likely to find between his lived experience and the saga laid out before him, but it was so much more than he ever could have imagined. 

His heart broke all over again as he read about the three young boys finding Eleven in the woods, the same way he himself had done. He could remember with perfect clarity the fear that had shone in her eyes that first night, and how quickly he had come to the decision to take care of her as best he could, no matter the consequences. 

He noted the similarities between Eleven destroying the demogorgon at the school and thus saving the day in the big climax to the first part, and what he knew of her defeating the creature at the lab when they’d first been captured. It probably didn’t matter now, but he wondered if she really had gotten stuck in that other world for a while, and if that was part of why he hadn’t seen her for so long. She had never said, only told him she had needed a lot of rest afterwards. 

The second book came with more than one surprise. His own character, or ‘Game Steve’ as he was calling his doppelganger on the page, had gotten roped into helping Dustin search for an escaped creature that turned out to be a demodog. After a nail-biting confrontation in the junkyard with a small pack of the four-legged monsters, Game Steve cemented himself as the party’s babysitter and fierce protector. 

Steve was floored. He knew it was mostly make-believe, but still couldn’t believe anyone saw him like that, and he found his vision blurring more than once as he continued. 

He was intrigued by the reveal of Eleven, and how she had been off finding one of her escaped siblings and fellow numbers. He thought Eddie might have been trying to tell himself something with that little side-quest. 

They had already touched on the big battle with the demodogs in the basement of Hawkins lab while El closed the gate, and spoke a little about how it went down in both the real and fictional worlds. The scars on Steve’s back burned with the memory, and he allowed himself to skim that part, not wishing to fully relive the horror of that night when it wasn’t necessary. 

He started to take some notes of his own when it came to notebooks three and four. He had too many thoughts and questions to keep it all straight and things only got worse with the growing dread in his stomach as he neared the final pages.

There was no stopping the tears that fell in fat droplets to land on the back cover of the final black and white composition notebook when Steve was finished. His breath hitched as he finally lifted his gaze to look at Eddie, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, for the first time in what felt like hours. 

“Steve?” Eddie stood, hovering over him with concern. 

Steve didn't know where to start. He needed to tell Eddie about Henry, about Vecna. That he was real, that it was all too real, how he was now terrified at the possibility that Eddie had predicted his own death. But Steve couldn’t form the words. Not yet. His throat was tight with pain and panic. 

When he didn’t respond, Eddie knelt down on the floor in front of him, bringing them eye to eye as he reached out a cautious hand. He gently wiped the wetness from Steve’s face with a brush of his thumb. Steve couldn’t help sinking into the touch, too far gone to care what it might imply.

During all of those long and lonely nights at the lab, Steve had started to suspect some things about himself. He realized, beginning with that first time when he told stories of old school days to keep El company in her coma-like state, that any time he spoke about the past, he never failed to find a way to bring up Eddie. 

They hadn’t been friends, though Steve would have liked to be. They were from two completely different circles of people, only speaking on occasion, when chance or fate served to put them in a room together, or set them on the same path down the halls, however briefly. Though he hadn’t realized their meaning at the time, Steve came to cherish those memories, their short but friendly interactions, and the flutter he would feel in his stomach whenever he was fortunate enough to lay eyes on the other boy. 

Steve knew what it was now, and that crush had only grown exponentially in the past 24 hours as he learned about what sort of person Eddie was.

Everything he had just read served as a stark reminder that you never know how much time you have left with someone, or when the next disaster is going to strike. So, while this was most definitely not the right moment by any rational person’s estimation, Steve gave in to the urge to lean forward, crossing the short distance between them, and joined his mouth to Eddie’s in a soft kiss.

After the all-to-brief touch of lips, Eddie pulled back with a sharp intake of breath, his hand still resting on the side of Steve's face. They stared into each other's eyes from inches away and Steve’s heart hammered inside his chest as he fought hard not to panic. Eddie searched his face, and he longed to know what the other boy was looking for so he could show it to him. 

Steve swallowed hard, watching as Eddie’s eyes flicked down to track the bobbing of his throat. A soft whine came spilling out of Eddie’s mouth a split second before he crashed back into Steve. He smiled into the kiss and pulled Eddie up into his lap. He licked along the seam of Eddie's lips, asking permission, and was immediately granted entrance. Eddie opened wide for him and Steve let out a low moan, reveling in the feel of their tongues sliding against each other. 

Eleven rolled over and let out a loud snore from where she still rested on the bed, and they sprang apart, both remembering suddenly that they weren’t entirely alone. 

Steve covered his mouth to stifle the giggle that he couldn’t stop from coming, and was relieved to see Eddie's eyes sparkling with the same amusement. He quickly took Steve’s hand and pulled him to his feet. The pair tiptoed out of the room, quietly closing the door behind them. 

They only made it two steps away from the room before Eddie had him pinned to the wall, overwhelming his senses with lips and tongue. He bit and sucked at Steve's lower lip until his knees went weak and they finally pulled apart, panting. 

As they both caught their breaths, Eddie ran his fingers through Steve's hair and said, “Not that I'm complaining, but what brought this on?”

Steve frowned, paling as he recalled the reason he was so willing to throw caution to the wind. He slid down the wall to sit on the floor, pulling his knees to his chest to fit in the narrow hall. Eddie sat down next to him, close but not touching.

“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to kill the mood. We don’t have to talk about it, it’s...”

Steve reached over and took Eddie's hand, raising it to his lips to brush a light kiss over the back of it. He couldn’t let Eddie get the wrong idea, not for a second.

“I really like you.” Steve said.

Eddie’s eyes went wide. “Oh.” He breathed. “Well, In case it was unclear, the feeling is mutual.”

“I’m glad.” Steve said, giving Eddie’s hand a squeeze. “But, as much as I would love to spend the afternoon doing more of that, I need to tell you about...”

“Vecna?” Eddie guessed.

Steve dipped his head in a solemn nod. He wasn’t surprised that Eddie had figured it out, he was smart, despite what his history at school would reflect, and he paid attention.

“Among other things.” Steve said. “You had it right, about the hive mind. Everything from that place, the upside down, is connected. The possession? The way it controlled that guy in the third story? That happened to me. Owens got it out by blasting me with heat. You got that part right too, all of their strengths and weaknesses are as you said. I don’t know if the bats exist. I haven't even seen the other world for myself, but I'd be willing to bet they’re real.”

“And Vecna, is he..?”

“Alive? Yes. His name really is Henry and he was the first number, One. I don’t know his backstory to tell you if you got that right or not, but he is responsible for the deaths of the other kids. I was thinking about that. The day El fought with him and sent him into that other dimension, it has to be the same day that you escaped. The alarm would have been going off, just like Claudia said, and everyone would have been too distracted to see you slip away.”

Eddie jerked his hand back, leaning as far away from Steve as he could and wrapped his arms around himself. “I’m so sorry.” He whispered. 

“What could you possibly have to apologize for?”

“Don't you get it, Steve? That means I left her there. I ran, and I let her fight that monster all alone. I mean, I always suspected I was a coward but here's the cold hard proof.”

“No. Don’t do that to yourself.” Steve pleaded. “You were just a kid, and we don’t know what the circumstances were. All that matters now, is that you both made it, you survived. If you had stayed behind, who knows what would have happened.”

Eddie clenched his jaw, clearly still upset with himself, but trying. “What else?”

“Brenner let Eleven think she killed Henry, she felt horribly guilty about it for so long. I figured it out a few months ago, that they suspected he was still alive and that they were using El to find him. I told her what I thought, we figured it would be easy for her to avoid him now that she knew what she was looking for but..”

“He found her. That’s what really happened yesterday.” Eddie finished for him.

“Yes. How’d you know?”

“The blood, the way it looked like it had been dripping out of her eyes. It’s exactly how I pictured it.”  Eddie’s eyes glazed over a little as he spoke.

“You said the most recent campaign, the notes in that fourth book, that was all you, right?” Steve asked.

“Yeah.”

“I’m worried about how much hasn’t happened yet, and what parts might be real.”

Eddie hesitated.“...Shit, I hadn’t really thought about it like that.”

“Henry just made his first attack, there's no reason to assume it’s his last.”

“What do we do?”

Steve sighed, tilting his head back to thunk softly against the wall. “I think we need to bring them all in, everyone from your campaign who was affected by the Upside-Down. Especially Vecna’s victim’s. I think we should tell them. If it starts happening for real, it’s the only way we’ll have a chance to protect them. It’s up to you though, Eddie. You’d be exposed.”

“So would you and El.” Eddie pointed out.

Steve already knew what his sister would say. “I know.”

Eddie picked at a loose thread on the carpet, thinking. Finally he nodded to himself and looked at Steve. “I can’t let anyone die knowing I could have stopped it. I’m in.”

Together they formed a loose plan. Eddie would pick the boys up from school, they would be the easiest to convince and he might be able to gather Nancy and Jonathan on the way. Chrissy too if he could catch her on her way to cheerleading practice. They’d start there, and get the rest of the group, assuming they believed them, to help to bring the others into the fold. 

They sat there in the hallway for a long time, with Steve resting his head on Eddie's shoulder as they talked. Steve didn’t want to think about the lab, and instead told Eddie about the few months he and El had shared at his old house. He could feel himself smiling like an idiot at the fond memories. Eddie shared more about Dustin, and the boys, about school and his fears that he was going to fail and have to repeat senior year again. 

Eddie snaked an arm around Steve’s back, holding him close, and he found himself nodding off as they settled into a comfortable silence. Eventually, Eddie was forced to wake him, when it was almost time for him to drive to the school. 

Steve yawned and stretched, rolling his neck from side to side. He might be stiff from sleeping that way, but waking up in Eddie’s arms was something he thought he’d pay any price for. 

“Hopper’s not going to like this.” Steve pointed out as he walked with Eddie through to the living room.

“I know!” Eddie grinned. “All the more reason to do it.” 

Steve rolled his eyes, but returned the smile anyway. “What should I tell your uncle if he wakes up?”

Eddie shrugged. “Just tell him and I ran to the store for smokes or something. I won’t be long.”

Steve blinked at him. He didn’t like the idea of lying to the man who was currently putting a roof over his head. 

“Don’t look at me like that, Harrington. If you tell him the truth, he’ll call Hopper, and like you said he’ll hate our plan. In this case I think we’re better off asking forgiveness than permission.”

He couldn’t really argue that, so Steve just nodded. 

There was a moment of awkwardness at the door, neither boy ready to part yet, even temporarily, and not knowing how to say goodbye. Steve wasn’t sure who moved first, but suddenly they were hugging. Eddie placed a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth, and then he was gone.

Chapter 9

Special thanks to @penny00dreadful for all your help once again! 😘

@steddie-there @yeahhhh-suga @goinsteddie @brbsoulnomming @the-s-is-silent @paintsplatteredandimperfect @estrellami-1 @herebedragons404 @epiclazershark @mentallyundone @hardboiledleggs @manda-panda-monium @ellietheasexylibrarian @sofadofax @5ammi90 @meccaminayah @bestwifehaver @eddie-munsons-lunchbox @soaringornithopter @buckleybarnes @adaed5

as always, let me know if you want to be added or removed from the tags! 💜

[fandoms-in-law]

To the Past Versions

Summary: Steve gets pushed to write letters to his past by Dustin, and then Robin when he isn't nice in the first. It does eventually help him.

Authors note: I am ever confused when words fall easily. I write constantly so it happens often enough, but if I have a prompt I expect to get stuck. Today I did not, happily so.

The idea for this fic: Dear self esteem* as a Steve fic except he's really just writing to memories, wondering when he stopped feeling like he could do anything/be anything

*A sanders sides fic I wrote a while back

/\/\

Attempt 1:

Hey Steve,

So Dustin has it in his head that we all need to write to the past to get mentally healthy or something, sounds like bullshit, which is what you are, so I picked you to write to.

You’re so wrapped up in yourself, you don’t even realise how much of an asshole you are. You Don’t treat Nancy right now, and barely get better after you sleep with her. You’re a complete jackass, who I and everyone I’ve basically ever met hates and that’s without knowing you most of the time.

Literally, I meet people I thought were complete strangers, or maybe classmates I never interacted with, and get told how horrible you are. That’s how bad you are. You’re worse than complete garbage and trust me, I’ve met men like that enough to know.

Get your head out of your ass, stop bullying people for no reason and fucking learn money solves basically nothing. It just lets you pretend the problem isn’t there until you run out of it.

Thanks for nothing, And better grovel for Nancy to help you learn to be better, you useless prick.

Steve.

Attempt 2:

So, somehow Robin found out about my first letter and got mad about it? She’s telling me to right to a past me that I actually like and seems set on doing so until she thinks I’m healthier. There were threats to show it to Dustin involved and I do not want to know how he’d react. He’s already acting oddly, along with the other kids since Robs found it. I think she spoke to them too.

Sorry for the ramble, Steve, hello.

You’ll meet Robin soon so don’t worry over having no clue who she is. The kids have already inserted themselves into your lives and I still agree that you’re better for it.

I think the first time I actually liked myself was because of those kids. For once I wasn’t a Harrington, or a basketball player; I was a guy who could help them, protect them in a way Nancy never let me feel like I had done. (We both know I was the one who won against that demogorgan not her or Jonathan though)

Times are shit for you outside of the kids though, but I miss those days. Even if Billy liked to lord over me that he was king now, it was nice to be in the background at school, and stand a chance of learning in lessons instead of Tommy yanking me into parties or rubbish that I never enjoyed. Heck I even enjoyed a few of the classes that year. Who knew I could be interested in that stuff?

Life gets better though, even if it comes looking like horrid situations sometimes. And the kids will be there nagging you through it all. I love those shitheads.

Keep going.

Steve.

Attempt 3:

Hey Steve,

Erica would have gotten involved regardless. It might be horrible that you and Robin were the ones to do it when she was so young, but I think it was better for her. This last time was the worst and I’m glad she wasn’t trying to understand it all without something to get out of it. You don’t have to carry that guilt forever. At least share some of it with Robin since she was the one who came up with the idea and acted before asking me or Dustin if it was sensible to try.

I wish you had done that ceremonial burning of the scoops outfit though. You and Robs joked about it so much in the weeks after the fire but here I am, with Eddie fucking Munson begging me to wear it again just so he can see the old uniform fully assembled.

Seriously, go burn it now whenever you don’t get a letter from the future appearing

Steve

Attempt 4:

Dear Steve,

Kiddo, you know these people you think are friends aren’t. I wouldn’t call the kids I look after kiddo but somehow it works for 13yr old me. Popularity isn’t friendship, it’s people pretending to like you because they think that’ll get them something; I wish you weren’t so desperate for friendship and connection you fell into it.

This is the last year I remember trying to stop someone insulting another person. You got called a bleeding heart for months and if you even grimace at the worst bullying happening around you Tommy or one of the other people hanging onto you would turn everything onto ‘bleeding heart Harrington’. The poker face you develop because of it still hasn’t been broken when Eddie decides everyone should play cards.

Steve, you have hell coming before you, and despite the monsters and location that matches that name better to most people, for you that is high school and being forced to the top all because you wanted friends. You get through it, you find monsters and discover what real friendship is after all of that. I think someone in history class said something about if you’re going through hell keep going and that’s what you need to do, what I did.

But, kid, still keep trying to be kind when you can. I know it feels precarious, dangerous, to have everyone looking at you and see the bullying they do to anyone shown to be human. I know how scared I felt that it’d turn on me if I refused any of those people I thought were friends too much, but you try, I tried, as much as I could for as long as I could, until I got here.

You’re going to be lonely for a while, Steve, but not forever, I promise you that.

I’ll see you in my reflection when I get stunned by my friends. They’ll find you eventually.

Steve

Attempt 5:

Dear Steve,

I dug out a picture to write this. One mom took just before leaving saying she’d get it developed so she could never forget her darling boy. Two promises broken at once because I found that camera, and the film still inside it a decade later, the picture still undeveloped until I asked Jonathan if he could.

Dustin was right when he read somewhere that writing to our past could help us feel better, but he was wrong too. He suggested times I could write to for stupid things or times following what he thinks are the big traumas, but those are easy. I knew more of the world then, but you’re just a kid, younger than Erica was when I got to know her and needing far more protection than I think she’s ever done.

If Robin had brought you into the back room of Scoops that day I might’ve done the most sensible thing ever and just driven out of Hawkins, you and Dustin packed into the back seat to try and figure out how to survive. Until Mrs Henderson took Dustin back because she loves him so much.

Sometimes it hurts to witness that, because of your year, 8yrs old and absolutely sure I was a big boy who could cope with a few nights home alone because mom wanted to go with father on a short trip. You shouldn’t have been, have needed to be, and for a long time I’ve been sad about that.

Mom and father were home last week and she found the picture, said she didn’t remember getting it developed. I didn’t correct her. Because you were lonely, scared, for so long, and now I’m mad.

I know you get through it, become the best cook to start taking home economics and almost kill yourself mixing cleaning products enough times you didn’t need chemistry class to tell you what makes poisonous gases. You get to become me eventually, but you shouldn’t have. I could never imagine leaving one of the kids I look after home alone in the way you were, and that’s on our parents. They failed you, even before now, but at 8 was the first time you wondered it. You didn’t need to correct yourself then although I know you did. Mom and father failed you.

We make it, and they will realise they’ve been strangers my whole life when they come home to emptied rooms, bills unpaid and no forwarding address. I move out next week to an apartment with friends.

You will have company again.

Steve

Attempt 6:

Your majesty, King Steve,

Eddie is pretty funny and I think I need his flavour of madness right now. Last time I tried to write to you I got mad, at myself more than at you. Then Robin both got mad and started paying attention to how she and everyone talks to me or about who I’ve been. She’s still mad but at herself and others now.

You aren’t good, Steve, but you weren’t as horrible as I began to think. I mean, even at what everyone thinks is my worst I went back to save Nancy. Robin pointed that out to me, sat down and dissected things I was sure I did at my worst, before Nance and I were officially dating.

Some things surprised her and I like knowing that I was a good friend, even to people who weren’t, because you are. You are there giving Carol pudding pots when Tommy ruins hers; there checking no one on the swim or basketball teams gets too hurt by teasing; there trying to make sure everyone claiming to be your friend has what they need.

Those aren’t things a bad person would do, just someone so caught up in protecting themself from the pain of loneliness and isolation that they compromise themself for company. Okay, Robin told me that too, but it tracks.

Most importantly, when I get the chance to be better, to know real connections, I take it. That’s pretty great of you.

Thanks Steve. You take the biggest step for us.

Attempt 7:

To Myself,

It’s been a long journey and I never thought I’d write to myself half so much as I have.

I’ve been popular, lonely, both at once, heartbroken, loved and to hell only to come out fighting. Concussions are far too familiar a sensation and I could probably make do living in the woods with the ways I learnt to cook.

Life is a trip and apparently I don’t get a choice about living it. But in all the letters to our past I’ve written there’s one thing I realised I’ve wanted someone to tell me for years and that’s that it’s okay to mess up. It’s okay if I wasn’t always the nicest person, or that I’m not smart, hardly perfect and have very little will to fight for myself or against other people. I don’t need to be perfect because with the right people we can make a wonderful imperfect family.

To us, Steve. To being myself, as best I know how.

[antvnger]

MJ came walking out of the dark alley. She wasn’t sure where to go or who she could trust. The only thing she had going for her was that she at least now knew where she was. Looking down the street to see if anywhere was still open because it was so late at night, she saw the lights were still on at the The Drama Book Shop. She had spent a lot of time in there and at least she could go in and regroup.

She slowly began walking towards the open shop but was struggling to keep herself going. The gash on her forehead was turning into a bruise but had caused her to lose a good amount of blood which made her slightly woozy. All she wanted to do was collapse in a ball and sleep but Peter needed her…and she needed him.

When she walked in the door, there was no one in sight. She read the sign right inside the door and saw that there had been a Scott Lang book signing that had ended a little over an hour ago. Again, she looked around but still there was no one to ask for help. MJ made her way over to the check out counter looking to see if they had a phone she could use to call for help, but who did she have to call?

Scott stretched out his back and arms before he collected his things from the back room of the bookstore. What a day. He loved it all though. It’s weird for him to receive such attention, but he would never get enough of seeing kids dressed up as Ant-Man with bright eyes and big grins when they meet him at book signings.

It was one of the sweetest feelings in the entire world.

He grinned softly to himself at the memory of each kiddo in line to see him as he headed toward the main entrance of the store. He felt like a walk back to his hotel was in order. He’d been sitting too long; he needed to stretch his legs.

That’s when he saw the young woman at the checkout counter. She didn’t seem to notice him at first, but he noticed the gash on her head. Instinct kicked in then, and he rushed over to her. “Hey,” he greeted with urgency and concern, “hey, are you okay? What happened? We need to get you to the hospital.”

[ghoastixx]

hihihihi

i have a request for you!!

Labyrinth

jareth x aromantic male reader

where it’s just the reader doing the labyrinth but their having so much fun rather than stressing like sarah did !!

so yknow when jareth asks sarah to stay with him? (i haven’t seen the movie in a bit but i think this happened) the reader just agrees because they’re having so much fun and actually enjoy having jareth as a friend 💅

Jareth x aromantic male reader

Author’s note: hi!!! Thank you for the request :)))) I love when I get requests, it makes my blog a lot more lively in my opinion. Writing for aro readers is something that I have never done, but this simply thrills me. I’d be more than happy to do this! I’m more of a romcom reader myself but would absolutely devour a friendship fic if there were more.

Like- oh my god I love this prompt so much?? This is so fun???

Warnings: none at all, just tooth rotting fluff

———————————————————————————-

As soon as Jareth sees that you are not showing a bit of interest in him, he lays off.

He may be a hopeless romantic, but no use hitting on someone who has not shown the slightest bit of romantic interest in him.. but he’s still very curious about you.

Like- who is this guy??? Why is he not panicking??? Does he not understand the intensity of this situation?????

why are you having fun??? >:|

You confuse him.. he likes you.

“He’s reached the gates.. he shouldn’t of made it this far, he should’ve given up by now.” “He’ll never give up!” “Will he?”

You’re just being so nice??? So happy?? Like- this is just a normal Tuesday for you??

Once you beat him, he gives out his little speech. “Fear me, love me, do what I say, and I will be your slave.”

Much to his dismay! You agree to stay!!

You don’t want to be his king though </3

He throws a little tantrum about it at first but eventually gets over it.

(Please we’ve all seen his hair, he’s a drama queen and we all know it)

You now play a very important part in his labyrinth. You are his court.

He’d come to you with propositions, issues, royal stuff.

He’d probably try to get you to help lure humans away with your friendly nature.

“Yo Jareth!” You stormed into the room flooding with goblins. Usually this would get the king riled up, but he didn’t care.

“Yes, Y/n?” He hummed, sitting haphazardly on his throne.

“Your runner fell through one of the holes you have in the maze.” He looked at you.

“Which one?”

“How many are there?”

“A lot.”

“Well shit-“

“Did they say anything important?” He looked at him, he seemed tired and fed up, but holding a civil conversation was very nice.

“Uh- no. Not really. Mostly just “I have to save Cleo! Oh naurrrr!” Jareth put a hand on his face and chuckled a bit.

“You have way too much fun with this-“

“I can’t help it!” He sat on one of the windows and watched the goblins run ramped, as they harassed the kiddo.

“Jareth?”

“Hm?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask- why is there a chicken in here?” Jareth looked at the other male very sternly.

“The goblins like to throw things at it.”

“HOW DID IT GET HERE!”

“I DON’T KNOW, IT’S VERY OLD.”

If he ever has time off, let him show you around the labryinth

He’d show you little secrets to lure other people through.

Look- he’s gotta make this fun for the both of you. Work is work, he’s allowed to have fun with it to.

He likes to watch you lead the runners off path, it’s very fun. You’re very convincing.

THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL TO THE RUNNER IS AT THE VERY END.

Jareth and the runner are face to face and all of a sudden, you, Jareth’s right hand man come lurking from the shadows.

Runner: shocked

Jareth: smug

You: having way too much fun.

“You’re working with him!? How could you?! I trusted you?!”

“Eh-“

You’re not evil- you did help the runner, a lot. But you need to have fun too, right?

Jareth would be a very good partner in crime.

__________________________

-Ghoastix

[jjtheresidentbaby]

Caregiver Dean & Part Monster Little headcanons

for the lovely @teddybear-kiddo

If he knew the little beforehand I think he’d have an easier time accepting the change from fully human to something supernatural

depending on the type of monster his little is he’ll start to stock up on supplies, trying to choose the most morally correct way of gathering them but Dean’s never been scared to get his hands dirty if need be

he’d have strict rules considering the circumstances, what they are change depending on the personality of his little/species of supernatural they are

he’d definitely pour hours into research with Sam about what they can do to help or what could be possibly harmful

all supplies for hunting that could be harmful to his little get locked up and stored away

his protective personality would definitely hike up, he’d almost never leave his little somewhere that he couldn’t be

if Dean can’t be there he’ll have Sam or Cas watch over them, they’d never really be alone

Dean would also cut off all other hunters except the ones he could absolutely trust (ie. Bobby, jody, etc.

the last thing he wants is some random hunter coming to track down his little

he’d take up training his little more vigorously, allowing them to use their supernatural abilities to their advantage half the time because “it’s important to know without too”

of course he makes it fun and little friendly, probably having a few treats waiting for his little once they finish all their tasks

he makes sure to find toys that match his little (ie. a strong chew toy for a werewolf)

if he and his little had a routine beforehand he’d try to stick to it the best he could for normality sake

he still cares deeply for his little so no matter what he wants them to be safe and comfortable

[cloudy-zephyr]

Aizawa + age regressor! Reader headcanons (gender neutral as always!!)

So…. I’m nervous posting this one. It could either be very well received or I could be horribly harassed, so I’ll educate you guys some.

What is age regression? Age regression (agere) is when someone, due to trauma, reverts to a mental state and age of a child; usually the age before the childhood trauma was experienced. It is completely SFW and in no way will I tolerate any sexual/ rude comments. You can be mean under any other post of mine, but I will not tolerate any form of hate under this post. My page is a safe space for everyone, I intend to keep it that way and will not hesitate to block anyone I see necessary.

You are more than welcome to leave and not read, but if you want to read then welcome!!

Cw: mentions of abuse/trauma, usage of “daddy, dada” in non sexual context, very brief mention of kink ( literally just the work kink like twice), feelings of shame/embarrassment for regressing

- telling shota you regress isn’t something you planned on doing, why would you? It’s embarrassing that you need to act like a toddler to be able to cope with the stress in your life.

- he finds out when he comes home and you’re deep in headspace, he scares you because you know he shouldn’t see you like this and you burst into tears

- he is immediately worried, trying to get answers from you. The thing is, after working with kids and being a pro hero for so many years he knows what he sees when he looks in your eyes, he isn’t angry or disgusted at all.

“Oh… my poor baby got spooked, huh? I’m sorry, little one.”

- you’re confused, expecting him to hurt you like you’re used to, but his soothing voice and calm demeanor has you calming down from your hysterics. All you can do is hold your stuffie and nod.

- after that day, you’re much more open with him. Even giving him names when you’re regressed, that’s how he knows you truly trust him.

“Dada, can you help me pwease?”

“Of course he can, kiddo. What do you need?”

- he takes every new discovery of your headspace in stride, the hour long breakdowns and the very happy days

“Shh,, I’m here angel. Daddy’s got you.”

“Oh look at you! I’m so happy my baby is happy.”

- if you want gear, he gets you gear!!

“You keep looking at that sippy cup/bottle/pacifier, love. If you want it put it in the cart.”

“No, I don’t need it.”

(He sneaks it in the cart, anyways)

- he works with you that it’s okay and normal to regress, and helps you into your headspace

“It’s weird, and you’re gonna judge me and think I’m gross.”

“It’s not weird, I would never think you’re gross for the way you need to cope.”

- he takes you being nonverbal in stride too

*incoherent baby babbles*

“Oh, yeah?? Then what happened? No way. Tell me more, little one”

- in public and start to slip? No worries, he knows how to help you and keep it discreet per your request

“Hmm, how about we go get ice cream. Sound good? Knew it would, hold my hand when crossing the street angel.”

- if you wake up from a nightmare and immediately regress, he’s there to hold and comfort you

“Hey hey,, shhh. It’s okay, they can’t hurt you anymore. Dadas here now, okay? How’s a bottle of warm milk sound, baby”

- hate online is a huge thing regressors face, so what would he do if you’re scrolling through the agere tag and see someone calling a regressor and their caregiver gross and playing into kink??

“Turn that off, no more screen time okay? No no, don’t listen to them. You know what you need, not them. No, love. You aren’t gross or weird. I love you to the moon and back.”

- all in all, he’d be very loving and supportive!!! He would definitely go through a learning curve of what you specifically need, but he’d be such a good caregiver I just know it!!

Remember, if you regress you are soooo valid and loved!! It’s not gross or a kink, and I’m happy you found a healthy way to cope :)

Let me know if you want more of this kinda stuff?? And I am taking requests!! If my asks aren't working (they should be on!!) then just shoot me a dm or comment :)

[crystalized-stardust]

Just finished chapter 2 of my story! Again, just a draft, but I love posting it here.

(And I want to make a tag list for anyone who wants to be on it. so if someone could let me know how to make one I’d really appreciate it!)

Anyway, here’s chapter two!!

Chapter 2

Amado let’s out a groan as he woke up, he had a pounding headache. He sat himself up, adjusting to the lights yet again, then looked up, only to be met with Alesky still siting there at the end of the bed.

“Hey, you sleep well kid?” He smiles at Amado, “I got you some food while you napped, will you eat some?”

He pushed the rolling table so it was in front of Amado. There was a plate of fruit and some yogurt on it, along with a cup of tea. He looked at Alesky, rather confused why he’d made Amado something to eat.

“Well go on, eat up.”

Amado stares at the plate again, wondering if he was being tested. Was he actually supposed to eat? Was Aleksy testing his patience?

He can see how conflicted Amado was by the offering, so he picks up the fork and puts some fruit and yogurt onto it and holds it up to Amados mouth, waiting for him to take a bite.

He pulled away at first, inspecting the food on the fork before reluctantly opening his mouth and trying the fruit and yogurt. His eyes lit up as he swallowed the food, it’s been a while since he’s eaten something this good. He waits for more.

Aleksy chuckled at this and continued to feed amado. Amado started to pick up the fruit, dip it into the yogurt and eat it himself. Aleksy smiled softly, happy to see Amado comfortable to eat by himself, but he noticed he had been eating fast, how long has it been since he’s eaten?

“Slow down, i don’t want you choke.”

Amado gave a nod and ate slower, he wasn’t feeling as panicked as he was earlier. Now that he’s had something to eat, he was feeling somewhat better, his hands still trembled as he held the fruit. Alesky couldn’t help but notice that, he tries talking to him again.

“Why don’t you try the tea? I didn’t know what kind you’d like so I went with lavender chamomile.”

Amado pick up the cup and drinks it slow. He liked chamomile tea, he likes the calming effect it had.

Amado put the cup down once he finished and ate the last of the fruit and yogurt. Though it wasn’t settling very well in his stomach.

“Maybe the yogurt wasn’t the best choice of food?” Aleksy felt guilty, he could see Amado felt a bit sick after eating it. He changed the topic.

“Hey, how about after you finish eating we’ll get you a bath? Your hair could really use a good wash.”

Amado was hesitant, he didn’t like the idea as he still didn’t trust Alesky yet. Aleksy tries his best to reassure him it would be okay and he’d keep him safe, not that Amado believed him, but he gave a nod and agreed to take a bath.

Alesky moves the table out of the way for Amado. Amado tries to stand up, his leg was in a lot of pain, his whole body was in pain actually.

“Are you alright kiddo-“

“I’m fine!” He shouted at Aleksy, he didn’t want help, he could walk by himself. But the more he tried to push himself to walk towards the door, he collapsed. He was already in pain, but he wasn’t going to ask for help, he never needed it before, why would he now?

Aleksy was getting concerned now, he tries to help Amado up, gently trying to lift him. But Amado was startled by Aleskys sudden touch and yelled at him.

“Let go of me!” Alesky legt go and let Amado sit there for a moment and collect himself.

Amado was still trembling, slowly calming back down. Alesky tries again, but asks him first this time.

“Can I help you up? Is that alright with you?” He smiles softly, offering his hand to amado.

Amado knew he didn’t have much of a choice, he couldn’t get up himself. He grabs aleksys hand and he gets back up and Aleksy helped him into a wheelchair, trying to make it easier for amado.

He sat there quietly as they headed to the washroom. He was nervous about letting Aleksy help him, not wanting to trust him yet, despite how kind he’s been.

Once they reached the washroom, Aleksy started to fill the tub with warm water. Amado stared at the tub with an uneasy look, he couldn’t tell if it would be ice cold or boiling hot. He didn’t want to get in.

“You ready to get in?”

He shook his head, feeling more uneasy.

“What are you scared of?”he crouched down and asked Amado softly, “Are you scared it’s gone be too cold?”

He nodded in reply, fidgeting with his hair as Aleksy approached him. He brought Amado over to the tub and held Amados hand, carefully lowering it into the water.

“See, not too cold, not too hot, right?”

Amado flinched at first contact with the water, but the waters temperature was perfect. Alesky then helped amado with the hospital gown, along with the prosthetic leg, and got Amado into the bath.

He sat there for a minute or two, letting his body relax, it felt great.

“May I wash your hair? Do you mind?” He didn’t want to scare Amado by touching his hair without permission, he waits Amados approval to begin washing it.

Amado was trembling, hugging his knee to his chest trying to keep calm when Aleksy mentioned washing his hair. He gave a nod, trying to sit as still as he could.

Aleksy smiles and starts to wash it. He’s very gentle as he cards his hands through Amados matted hair. Amado liked the fruity smell of the shampoos and conditioners, but it didn’t take away his fear that Alesky might try and hurt him. Would he try to drown him? Aleksy wasn’t like that though, he was trying help amado. Right?

Aleksy is gentle with washing and brushing the knots out of Amados hair, it was pretty curly and thick, theres no way anyone was properly taking care of his hair. He could feel the anger building inside of him, Amados body was riddled with so many scars and bruises, some look new while others were faded. Why would anyone do this to a child? How long was this going on for until he ended up here? He wanted to know, but Amados the only one who held the answer. It’s not like he could pry the information from him, that would only make it worse. He attempted to reassure him again,

“You’re doing great, kiddo. I’m almost done with your hair. It’s looking much brighter now.”

After a long hour of scrubbing, Amados hair was finally detangled and brushed out. He put some product into Amados hair to keep it soft and moistened. Amado looked like he had been spacing out, he tried to get his attention.

“Amado, time to get out now.” He wrapped the towel around him and tried to pick him up.

Amado panicked as Alesky picked him up, but on the other hand, there was something comforting about it. He let Aleksy help him back into the wheelchair and go back to the room.

Aleksy found a extra set of clothes he had, he offered them to amado, knowing the hospital gown probably wasn’t the most comfortable thing to wear. It was just a t-shirt and sweatpants, but Amado accepted, he thought they looked comfortable, and they were.

Alesky was helping Amado with putting the prosthetic leg on again, he was impressed at how realistic it was, but it was pretty damaged, he would make some time to talk to the doctor about getting Amado a new one.

Afterwards, he tries to get Amado to warm up to him by asking questions.

“So, tell me about yourself kid. Let’s start with…favorite color! Mine is purple.”

Amado thinks for a moment, “y-yellow…”

He smiles at Amados answer, “What about favorite animal? Mine is cats, I have one at home. Her name is Lila.”

Amado replied with, “Sharks. I like sharks.”

“Really? Why’s that?”

“Uhm…well, I guess I just find them interesting. That’s all.”

Aleksy smiles, “I see. I guess they are really fascinating animals.”

They chat for a while longer. Aleksy doesn’t shut up, while Amado is very monotonous with his answers. Amado kept looking over at the window, Aleksy asks him,

“Would you like to sit by the window? I think there’s a nice view of the garden from here?”

Amado nods. He was hesitant, but he held Aleksys hand as they walked over and sat in the chair to look down at the garden. He was quiet as he sat there and watched the garden, he loved the flowers.

Aleksy stood quietly next to the chair, keeping a close eye on Amado as they watched people walk in and out of the garden.

“Once you’re feeling better I’ll take you out to the garden if you’d like?”

Amado thought about it, “That would be nice.”

Aleksy smiles and continues to look out the window with Amado.

After some time, the doctor came in to check on Amado. Amado didn’t recognize him, he panicked and hid behind Aleksy.

“Hey, it’s ok Amado, he’s not going to hurt you.” He lets Amado hide behind him, trying to walk him back to the bed.

Once Amado was sat on the bed, the doctor came over and introduced himself.

“It’s nice to meet you Amado, I’m doctor Lambert. How have you been today?”

Amado gave no answer, he just curls up in the corner of the bed. But the doctor got closer, trying to explain to Amado he had to check his vitals to make sure everything was alright.

But Amado wasn’t having it, as the doctor got closer, he growled at him as he had done to caretaker. He was stressed out again and Aleksy can see that, so he sits on the bed and gets Amado to sit with him. Though Amado didn’t trust him still, he sat next to Aleksy and tried to keep calm.

The doctor got closer again and started to check Amados heartbeat. Amado held onto Aleksy, he was petrified, and Alesky was trying to calm him down.

Aleksy wrapped an arm around amado gently to comfort him, but also so the doctor could work without Amado trying to fight back. With each new piece of equipment Amados heart rate grew, none of the items hurt, but he had no idea what to expect next, and that was terrifying enough.

“Shh, you’re doing great, almost done.” He rubs Amados arm and soothes him, “Hang in there kiddo.”

It didn’t take long, the doctor finished checking Amados vitals.

“Everything seems to be stable. We can run some tests tomorrow. For now, I think he should just rest.”

He smiles and left the room, leaving Alesky and Amado alone again. Amado was curled up as close as he could to Alesky, trembling and looking terrified still, but Aleksy was scared to make any sudden movements, he didn’t want to scare Amado any further by trying to comfort him.

“Hey, he’s gone now,” he rests his hand on Amados hair, “See? You’re ok.”

Amado flinched at Aleksys hand, but he stayed quiet, not moving from his spot. He was trying to catch his breath as his lips tremble, he was watching the door as if the doctor would come back in. Of course Aleksy felt awful, he can see just how scared amado was. He tried something to cheer him up.

“Hey, since you did so well, i think you deserve a reward. How about…a plush? You like those?” He took out his phone and showed some to Amado, letting him choose the one he wanted.

Amados eyes glaze over the options, he points to a cream colored rabbit. “T-That one.”

“That one?” Alesksy smiles and orders it for him. “Do you like rabbits too?”

Amado gave a nod, starting to fidget with his hair again, he was starting to calm back down, feeling rather tired from the stress of the day. Alesky noticed and checked the clock, it was nearly eight now, he needed to get Amado ready for bed.

“Alright kid, you must be getting real tired now, why don’t we get you to bed?”

Amado nodded and lies back in the bed as Alesky tucked him in and made sure he was comfortable. He sat by his side and went to strike his hair, causing Amado to pull away from his touch. Aleksy just smiles softly and hums until amado had fallen asleep. After hearing Amados gentle snores, he turned the light off and headed him for the night.

“Sweet dreams kiddo.”