#Exchange Fic

[husbandograveyard]

This is my contribution to a Discord Server exchange. My recipient is @lale-txt - an honour, truly.

Henlo Lale, I am your [no longer secret] secret summer...santa? Fairy? Either way, I set out to write you a little thing and then it became a slightly bigger than little thing. I think it may actually be my longest Tumblr fic to date. I hope you enjoy it, I had quite a lot of fun writing it -it took me out of a writing slump even. You gave me SO MANY delicious prompts to work with, but I eventually settled for my very first instinct, fake dating / married with Tengen. Sending you loads of love!

Tengen Uzui x Fem!Reader - SFW - 5.0k words cw/notes: fake dating / fake marriage | mention of injuries | In series | a hint of angst but all comfort after | Readers body does not get described, but female pronouns are used, reader is referred to as wife, girlfriend, woman, etc. | Tengen has his wives, they are mentioned, but they are not actively in the story | Tengen is still an active Hashira |

“So let me get this straight…” 

You were rubbing the bridge of your nose, trying to massage away the headache that was brewing. There was no way you’d be successful with the way this situation was going. 

“You have not one, not two…but three wives. Yet you are asking me to pretend to be another one of your wives because…?” 

“Because they are all out on their own missions and for this super-secret undercover one I have to have a partner otherwise they will not let me in.” 

Tengen was smiling, eyes full of hope and sparkles, and you had to resist the urge to punch his beautiful face just to wipe the smirk off of it. He was so casual about it too, as if it was only logical, and you were the one confused about the situation. 

You bit your lip, physically trying to bite back snarky remarks. An actual filter for your words, if you will, while your brain was too preoccupied trying to make sense of the situation. You sighed, taking another deep breath before clapping your hands together in front of your face, resting them against your lips and then pointing them at him, the only way to express your mixed annoyance and frustration. 

“Tengen, first of all, the mission is not super-secret, we literally all just heard the details. Secondly, there are a multitude of ways for you to carry out the mission or infiltrate that do not entail you going undercover as a couple at the retreat!” 

He held his hands up in defense, shaking his head at your arguments.

“That wouldn’t really be a flashy way of handling the situation. You know I need to do my work in my own way.” 

You shook your head in response, but still indulged him a little by asking what was in it for you. A smile appeared on his lips, and you realized that you had just shown him your cards. You had shown a little interest in the plan, and that was all he needed to give you the final push towards agreeing with him. 

“Well, you would be able to go on a deluxe retreat with me of all people”, he started his reasoning. You just rolled your eyes in response. 

“It’s fully paid, and I will take care of you all weekend. Since you will be posing as one of my wives -or a girlfriend if you feel more comfortable just doing that, you will be treated the way I always treat my wives, which is a treat in and of itself.” 

You raised an eyebrow, keeping up your skeptic facade, but you had to admit that it didn’t sound all that bad. Tengen may be a little peculiar, and definitely could stand to keep his mouth shut on more occasions, but you did know he was a wonderful partner, and going on a date -or this retreat- with him wouldn’t be a bad experience per se. Except for the obvious part: the demons who were the reason that this mission existed in the first place. It was as if he had read your mind though, speaking up to address your one concern: 

“It’s still my mission, no worries about fighting and stuff. I will protect you!” 

You rolled your eyes again, you weren’t a meek damsel in distress, you fought demons just the same. You probably wouldn’t even have minded helping out with the actual mission part. But you also knew just how stubborn Tengen could get, and if it was a mission that he’d easily do by himself, he wouldn’t let you unnecessarily endanger yourself just to help. 

You were quiet for a little bit, pretending to mull it over. Your decision was already made, but you didn’t want to seem too eager. It became increasingly hard to say no to the sparkles in his eyes and his wide toothy grin. 

“Sure. I’ll be your wife for the weekend. But you better spoil me.” 

“Of course. I have never disappointed a woman!”

He laughed loudly, and you couldn’t help but feel a little jolt of electricity coursing through your body. Were you really that excited? 

Tengen hadn’t lied about the resort being luxurious. Sure, it was in the middle of nowhere, and sure, there were barely any people around, and sure, you knew that the forests surrounding you were crawling with demons the second the sun went under… but it was beautiful, and it was clear the clientele was a of a way higher standing than the people you usually mingled with. You felt a little out of place even, and you were surprised to see just how relaxed Tengen was, how well he blended in. It made more and more sense that he had been selected for this mission. 

You had been briefed on the details of the mission, but Tengens expectations of you were clear: just enjoy the weekend and be his loyal and loving wife for two days. You weren’t expected to fight or do any recon, but he would keep you updated on all the information he found, and you would just keep an eye out, the way you always do, even off-duty. 

Other than that, some boundaries were established: you were to fake being husband and wife, but there was no reason for unnecessary PDA. Everything was cleared with his wives as well, and you had to admit you really appreciated his consideration and consent. The way he went over all kinds of scenarios beforehand to gauge just what you would be okay with had made you feel some type of way. It had also made you realize that you were okay with a lot of things, way more than you would expect yourself to agree to. A small voice in the back of your head kept saying: ‘If it is him, I suppose it would be okay’, which made you wonder just why you were so willing to receive affection from him, faked or otherwise. 

Checking in with him having wrapped an arm around your waist made you feel more safe than you thought it would. You were strong and could fend for yourself, but that always had made past partners feel like they had to treat you like someone who was fiercely independent, someone who didn’t need as much pampering as you sometimes craved. It was nice to not even have to ask for that, feel safe and protected without feeling like he was looking down on you. He acknowledged your strength, it was just not your time right now to be strong. It was time to relax, and let him take care of you, and most of that was conveyed through simple gestures as you finished check-in and got settled in your room. 

He carried your bags, held your hand or had an arm wrapped around your shoulder and opened doors for you. The way he so effortlessly fell into the role of your husband made it easier for you to take on your role as wife as well. You leaned into his touches, and you didn’t even have to fake the smile that was on your lips most of the day. You had to remind yourself to sometimes still roll his eyes and deliver a playful slap to his bicep, especially when it was just the two of you and there was no reason to keep up the act. 

“It’s easier to just stay in the role”, you explained your behavior to him when he shot you a curious look after closing the door behind the two of you, “That way if someone walks in on us unexpectedly, there is no scrambling to get back into it.” 

He nodded in agreement, but you didn’t fail to notice the glimmer in his eyes as he did so, slightly smiling. Did he notice something was off? Probably. But even if he did, he didn’t mention or ask anything, and you were glad he didn’t: you weren’t sure if you could tell exactly what was going on either. 

Tengen was gone for a big part of the afternoon, doing recon and mission prep. 

“Nothing for you to worry your pretty head about,” he had said with a grin, and he had left with a promise to come join you at the pool whenever he was done. You were allowed to spend the afternoon as you wanted, so you had grabbed a book, and found a nice spot by the pool. You settled in with a drink and a fruit platter, enjoying the sun on your face and an occasional swim to cool down before letting yourself get carried away into the fantasy world of your book again. 

“Yo~ Looks like you’re having a good time even without me here?” 

You were startled by Tengen’s sudden appearance, standing next to your chair. You remembered your role swiftly though, looking up at him with a smile. 

“Oh you’re back, dea-” 

You interrupted yourself, blinking a couple of times, finding yourself flustered and a little shocked by the sight in front of you. Tengen had changed into swimwear too, which made sense considering the environment, but for some reason you hadn’t expected to come face to face with his abs when you looked up from your book. His usual tight clothes left not that much to the imagination, but his tight swimwear took away what little fantasy you still had left. You couldn’t stop your eyes from wandering just a little, from his chest to his abs to his muscled thighs, a part usually hidden by his baggy pants, back up to whatever tiny scrap of fabric was hiding the essentials. You felt your face heat up, and opened your mouth a few times to finish your sentence, but you couldn’t, momentarily stunned into silence. It felt like hours before he moved, a few beautiful, wonderful hours, but in reality it must’ve been only a few seconds if it was even that long at all. 

He just chuckled, crouching down by your side to hand you another drink, kissing your cheek, seamlessly picking up the conversation. 

“I’m sorry for taking so long, I know I promised I’d only take a small nap”

You swallowed, taking the drink, the cold glass helping you return to your senses, playfully smacking his arm. 

“And then you fell asleep and I had to escape your loud snoring, as always.” 

There you go, you were right back into your role. He laughed in response, taking the chair next to you. You sipped some of your drink, regaining your focus and calming your senses. You were taken off guard by your own reaction to Tengen. This was all just a little play you were putting on for the sake of the mission, right? And as his wife, you definitely shouldn’t be having such an extreme reaction to seeing him like that. And yet. 

You had expected Tengen to leave you the minute the sun went under, but he had surprised you by saying he’d have dinner together with you -better to keep up his cover. You’d go early enough so he wouldn’t miss out on too much of the evening, but long enough to actually lure out the demons and carry out the mission swiftly. 

You were pleasantly surprised by the idea. After spending all afternoon at the pool you had expected that was as far as the act would go for today. After all, you had swum together, sat together in the pool, a strong arm around you as you found yourself trying not to focus of the feeling of his body pleasantly pressed into yours, and talked a little about your book. You found yourself really enjoying his company -way more than you expected when you had agreed to this mission-, and getting to extend this quality time, whatever the nature of it, was an enjoyable add-on.

You went back to get changed, and had to do another double take when Tengen appeared in a hibiscus violet kimono, perfectly complimenting his eyes. His hair was loose, waves still damp from your earlier activities, and framed his face perfectly. He smiled at you in your kimono, complimenting you on your looks. 

“You look absolutely gorgeous tonight, my wife.” 

He added extra emphasis on those last two words, in a way that was barely noticeable for anyone listening along -even though you were alone in your room. Besides that little inside joke, his words sounded genuine. You chuckled in response, waving his compliment away with your hand and shaking your head. You weren’t sure how you were feeling about your body reacting to his words, but you hoped the butterflies that had come to settle in your stomach would quiet down, so you could enjoy the food. 

During dinner Tengen was a perfect gentleman again: holding your hand all the way till the restaurant part of the resort, only letting go to open doors for you and taking out your chair. The food was exquisite, dishes you had never had the opportunity to taste before, every single one tasting heavenly. 

You were mostly surprised by how easily you were making conversation. Initially, you feared it’d be a bit of a hassle, considering you had to pretend to be married, and there was no way you could talk about work to not break your cover. You had started just talking about how you liked the resort, the food and then the conversation had switched to old memories, and through them you got to know each other a little better. The conversation felt intimate, sharing memories you normally wouldn’t share with just a coworker, just a casual friend. But the stories proved to be the best possible way for you to pass the time without being off topic or suspicious, and since all the stories were true, you didn’t even have to lie to make them believable. 

Tengen listened to you intently as you talked, laughing loudly whenever you added a funny remark, and whenever he did so, you felt the butterflies fluttering in your chest. By now you were painfully aware of your predicament, but there was very little you could say about it in the moment without blowing your cover. Besides, you had to keep in mind that this was just for the mission. After this weekend you would go back to being coworkers, friends maybe, but nothing much more than that. It would be improper. 

You weren’t sure if Tengen was this good an actor, or if he was genuinely having the conversation you were having. You only knew that he seemed a little startled when he noticed just how dark it had gotten already, and seemed a little out of it when he announced that it may be for the best for you to retreat to your room. The way he winked at you when he said that made your heart skip a beat, even though you rationally knew it was merely an excuse again for anyone who could possibly overhear. Yet, you couldn’t help but feel like he was a little disappointed to cut your date short as well. 

You woke up in the middle of the night, confused and disoriented for a few seconds before you remembered where you were. You weren’t sure how late it was, but there was still no trace of the sun coming up in the distance, so you couldn’t have slept for that long yet. Tengen had gone off to do the mission work right after dropping you off at the room, sneakily escaping through the window, and you had decided to go to sleep not that long after. You asked him multiple times if he needed or wanted any help, and he had assured you just as many times that he would be perfectly fine. 

Staying behind like that, while you had agreed upon it initially, worked against all your instincts: you knew you could be useful out there. It was hard not to worry. Tengen had shared some details on the mission, but had kept you in the dark for most of it, mentioning that with too many details you might come after him or try to help even though your only job today was to relax. During the day, that was not a very hard task to accomplish, but by night, especially when you were all alone here in your room, it became so much harder to ignore your very nature as a demon slayer. Especially knowing Tengen was out there risking his life. No matter how strong anyone was, there would always be a risk when you go out. 

There was very little you could do right now though. You had no idea of Tengen’s game plan, nor did you know his exact location. If you went out now, you would only endanger yourself and possibly risk the entire plan failing. You knew when to stay put, so you did, but that didn’t mean it was an easy move. 

It didn’t help that you were wide awake now, too overwhelmed by a mixed bag of emotions, too many of them to sort out. You were feeling antsy, muscles itching to do something, anything. You couldn’t help but feel a little worried too, listening to the quiet outside for any noises that might give away what was going on outside. But the only noises greeting you back were those of nocturnal woodland critters. 

And then there were the…other feelings, by lack of a better term. You had been feeling some type of way towards Tengen today, and while you could probably define them more precisely, you weren’t sure if you actually wanted to. After all, no matter how open minded he was, it felt a little wrong to develop a crush on your coworker. Especially since he was happily married. Thrice. 

Yet you couldn’t deny the spots where he had touched and held you today under the guise of your fake relationship were feeling a little warmer, a pleasant warmness that made you feel a little safer, even now he wasn’t around. 

You could deny any less that the image of him in his swimwear by the pool was burned into your retinas, the mere idea making your face heat up just a little. 

Your main concern now was for him to get back safely. After that you would figure out what to do with all the feelings stirring inside you. Maybe you would address them, talk to him about it. But just as well, you’d suppress them, waiting for them to eb away as you spent less time together. Most missions were solo anyway. 

You looked out the window, the sky in the distance faintly changing colors from an inky black to a deep blueish purple. It wouldn't be long before those transitioned to purples, pinks and reds as the sun came up. It was later than you expected it to be, and you had hoped that Tengen would wrap up before sunrise. Either way, the mission would be paused or -hopefully- be finished when the morning started. You very consciously left out the third option: the mission had failed, and you were waiting for someone who wouldn’t return. 

You felt safe, you felt warm. 

There was a certain serenity that came with your current state: unbothered, ready to conquer the world. You woke up to the warmness of the sun on your face, and you had to blink a couple of times before your eyes got adjusted to the brightness of the light. Why was it light? 

You jolted up, suddenly realizing you must’ve fallen asleep again. The sudden movement caused Tengen to groan in pain. Tengen. He was back. 

It took you a few seconds to puzzle everything together. It was definitely day now, almost noon, judging by the position of the sun, and the brightness with which it shone. You hadn’t noticed Tengen coming back, at least not consciously so, but he was back. He was back and he was alive. A wave of relief washed over you, only to be quickly replaced with embarrassment, as you realized just how you were laying. Your futon a few yards away, your body resting half on top of Tengen’s instead; his groan had been a reaction to your elbow punching his ribcage as you got up a little too fast. He still had an arm loosely wrapped around your waist, and you had finally gained enough clarity to notice some dried up blood on his skin. 

You sat up completely, more carefully now, looking over at Tengen. His eyes were still closed, but he seemed awake enough. His face was contorted into a slightly pained expression, and you noticed now that he was covered in bruises and small cuts. No injury bad enough to worry you, but still, enough of them for you to feel guilty. You really should have insisted on coming with him. 

You got up to gather your medical supplies, noticing they were out and about already. Grabbing some gauze, water, a clean towel and disinfectant, you sat down next to him and started cleaning off the dried blood, disinfecting cuts and scrapes where necessary. This did wake Tengen up fully, and he sat up just a little with another groan. He didn’t stop you from your work, instead silently removed his shirt so you had better access and a better overview. 

This time your reaction to his naked torso was different: you gasped when you noticed some nasty wounds, things an experienced Hashira like him shouldn’t have if the mission was as routine as he had made it out to be. Any and all admiration for his physique was immediately replaced by worry, and you immediately got to taking care of the wounds as much as you could. 

It was silent for a bit as you worked, Tengen not reacting at all, except for muscles sometimes twitching as you touched him. You were the first to speak up, as you were almost done taking care of him, smoothing over a bandage with gentle motions. 

“What happened last night?” 

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. You didn’t say a word, kept your face neutral. You gave him the time and space he needed to come up with an explanation. How the demon wasn’t entirely like his recon had made him think it was. How his traps had been avoided, and how the battle was a hard fought one. He did finish the job -of course- but it hadn’t been as flashily as he had hoped, and moreso, he had taken a while to get back to the resort, the demon nearly getting away as he ran further and further away from the resort when it became clear that the battle was lost. 

“When I came back here, the sun was almost up again, and I found you resting with your head on the windowsill, as if you had fallen asleep looking out, waiting for me. I will admit that made me feel guilty, maybe I should have asked you to come along after all.”

You nodded, agreeing with his words, but you knew why he had made the decisions he did. He was safe, and that was all that matters, you weren’t sure if you could handle the loss of another friend. The fact that he made you worried paled in comparison to the more joyful one that he was safe, not as hurt as he could have been and made his way back to you eventually. 

“I think I woke you up a little by climbing  back into the room, but you weren’t fully awake.” He chuckled now, his tone way more lighthearted than when he was telling you the details of his fight. 

“You mumbled my name, and when I went to move you to your futon, you clinged onto me so hard that I didn’t get to put you down without moving you. Hence our position when you woke up earlier.” 

You smiled sheepishly, apologizing for your sleeping self, feeling a little flustered at the way you must’ve acted. Tengen didn’t seem too bothered by it though, if anything he seemed amused. 

“It’s okay. Very flattering to have you clinging to me like a little koala bear.” 

“If you weren’t injured, I’d smack you right now.” 

He just laughed in response, and the sound reawakened the butterflies. You felt the heat creep up your neck, towards your ears, and you decided to hide your state by cleaning up your supplies and already repacking your bag. You’d be going home today, after all, and maybe for the best. You weren’t sure just how much longer you could last in his presence. 

The decision to go home early came pretty easy. It would be a hassle to explain how your ‘husband’ got hurt during the night, and it would be even harder to avoid stares or questions as you spent more time in the resort, especially if you would spend more time at the pool. 

You insisted that Tengen get his injuries checked out properly as well, even though he was adamant that he’d be fine. You were just a little worried, and you were by no means a healer, you didn’t want him to scar unnecessarily. 

The trip back was quiet for the most part, a comfortable silence, mostly broken by Tengen asking questions or talking away. Hard for a sound hashira to stay completely silent the whole way, it didn’t match his personality either. You were too caught up in your own head to truly participate in the conversations, though, and you were sure Tengen at least noticed as much. 

When the time came to part ways, you lingered just a little too long, pretending to just double check your possessions. Tengen lingered too, waiting nearby, when you finally realized what he was probably waiting for. 

“Here you go”, you held out your hand, returning the jewelry he had given you to match his for the mission, a little extra detail to make you more officially like husband and wife. You had played with one of the rings on the way back, twisting it around your finger a couple of times, trying to stop your mind from imagining what it would be like wearing the jewelry in earnest. 

He looked confused for a second -was it not what he was waiting for? and then shook his head. 

“Oh no, you can keep those. Think of them as a token of my appreciation, and a fun memory of our relationship, which lasted the full two days”, he said with a wink, making your brain a jumbled mess again with just two sentences. 

“If you insist”, you managed to squeak out, and you carefully tucked the jewelry away again, slipping one of the rings around your middle finger, pleased with the way it looked. It also helped you steer your focus away from Tengen, who was still standing very close to you, and you were hoping he’d step back before you’d have to make eye contact again. He didn’t though. Instead, you felt his hand carefully cup your jaw, tilting your face just as carefully, so you could no longer stare at your fingers. His thumb caressed your cheek, and you were sure he must feel the heat radiating from your face, enough to burn that hand. Even if he noticed, he didn’t show, instead just smiling at you. 

“Thank you for being my wife for two days. It really was an honor to have you by my side for a little while, and you did actually help a lot, this mission.” 

You shrugged in response, painfully aware that you’d be unable to form long intricate sentences as long as he was touching you like that, looking at you like that, standing close to you like that. 

“It was just a little m-mission. I barely did anything.” 

He chuckled.

“No, I think you did plenty.” 

He leaned down, kissing your cheek to kiss you goodbye, missing your lips by an inch, and you felt your legs almost give way as your knees buckled. 

“whaoh; didn’t think such a small and unflashy gesture would have such an effect on you?” He smirked, his tone teasing. Oh, he was fully aware of what had been happening, and you just walked right into his trap. 

“I- you-” You took a deep breath, not wanting to stutter your way through an explanation. You weren’t even sure what you were trying to explain. How would you even tell him that-

“Don’t you worry, I know what’s been going on. This mission may or may not have been a little push, and my wives may or may not have been in the know. I am not saying that Hina came up with the idea, but I am saying she may have been involved even more than the two others.”

He smiled while you were trying to process his words, a task too big for your brain to manage, as his lips had left you unable to properly think. 

“How about I invite you over sometime soon, hm? A proper date, no pretenses. See how it goes?” 

You couldn’t do anything but just nod, still processing what was going on. He smirked; that very handsome smirk again and leaned down once more to leave the shortest and softest kiss on your lips. 

“I’ll contact you soon then.” 

[stevesjockstrap]

Part 2/2 🖤 part one or Read on ao3 • rated E — all the smut in this one (full tags on ao3)

tattoo artist Eddie, swimmer Steve Harrington, oblivious Eddie, pierced Eddie, appearance by Steve’s jockstrap 🫠 dom!Eddie, brat Steve ofc

@steddieonmywaywardson @steddiesummerexchange

Thanks again to @fuctacles and @lawrencebshoggoth 😘

Walking into the bar a few days later to see Steve in a tight crop top and very short jean shorts with the Calvin Klein band of his underwear showing a few inches above them had Eddie almost dropping to his knees.

He hadn’t been that excited about the 80’s theme night at their regular dive bar but now being faced with the happy trail and bare arms of his … what would he even call their relationship? They weren’t exactly friends. He was a little more than a client, honestly, but Eddie was hoping for much more than that. He just didn’t think it was going to happen. Gorgeous athletic assuredly straight guys like Steve Harrington do not end up with fuck ups like Eddie Munson. He knew what he looked like, the long hair and piercings and almost all of his body covered in weird tattoos. Cute frat boy types didn’t go for the likes of him.

“Eddie!”

He spun around to see Chrissy in a bright neon pink leotard with a headband. His own leather jacket and Judas Priest T-shirt seemed lame now, looking around at everyone who had gone above and beyond for the theme.

“Hey Chrissy. Love the outfit. Are you leading us in Jazzercise tonight?”

She laughed hard and genuine, throwing her head back and making her high pony tail swing around.

Steve came up next to them with an easy grin. “Hey Ed! How are you?”

“Hi Steve. Pretty good, pretty good. You guys really went all out, huh?”

Steve huffed a small laugh and shrugged, completely nonplussed that he was the hottest person in the place. Maybe the state. What Eddie would give-

“Can I buy you a drink?” Someone came up beside them, looking Chrissy up and down.

“Sure!” The guy in a cowboy hat and jeans (maybe had forgotten which theme night he was attending, or maybe he thought it was the 1880s, who knew) offered her his elbow and lead them to the bar. Steve threw a thumbs up at her when she turned to look back at him and Eddie wanted to run away immediately.

Thankfully he was saved by the Corroded Coffin boys showing up, but then Eddie had to awkwardly introduce them officially after they ragged on him for their enthusiastic session.

But Steve was amazing, unquestioningly shaking their hands and engaging in the typical polite small talk. The boys complimented his outfit without making it feel weird, and Steve excitedly pointed out Drew’s Metallica shirt and started an in-depth conversation about the album (making Eddie silently swoon beside him).

Chrissy rejoined them after cutting her suitor loose, and they all found themselves hanging at a corner of the bar, shooting the shit with the bartender and judging everyone else’s attire and the music.

As more and more alcohol was consumed, Eddie was quickly losing his mind. Steve was so comfortable in himself, talking with anyone who approached the bar or started talking with them. It shouldn’t have been that attractive, but Eddie who had grown up with all the same people surrounding him now, he found it hard to make friends. Chrissy and Argyle had found their way into his life by accident, but their extroverted selves had just adopted the sad boys in the tattoo shop and frequently drug them out of their comfort zones.

Eddie almost swallowed his tongue when a tall good looking man approached Steve and asked him to dance, waiting to see the hate crime in action that he was expecting. Waiting for the other shoe to drop, something to finally burst the Steve Harrington shaped bubble forming in his heart.

Instead, Steve gave him a demure smile and went with him, actually taking his hand and allowing the man to escort him to the dance floor where they quickly got into the groove and Eddie was dumbfounded.

He blinked at Chrissy and she sent him a look, but he was too drunk to decipher it. He couldn’t figure out why this was somehow worse than when he’d assumed Steve was straight and unattainable. Now that there may be a possibility — he shook his head at himself, quickly draining his cup and waving off the questions from the boys as he threw cash onto the table and stood. He had to go home before he embarrassed himself. Or made a fool of himself in front of Steve.

Gareth sent him a small sad smile and patted his shoulder as he went past.

The next few days went by quickly, Eddie trying to settle the slight nausea whenever he thought of how he’d acted with Steve at his tattoo appointment (and the consult meeting beforehand), forcing himself to be even more professional at his appointments now to try to overcompensate.

“Are you into Steve?”

Eddie scoffed and watched as the cue ball went wide, missing its target completely. “What the fuck, Chrissy?”

She smirked at him from the other side of the table, quickly pocketing two of her striped balls.

“Well?” She asked again. Chrissy had drug him back to the bar, apparently to interrogate him.

“Is this just a dirty trick to win at pool? Or a real question?” Eddie peered at her while she scoped out the table.

“A question can be more than one thing,” Chrissy said with a wide grin. “People, too.”

Eddie frowned, game now forgotten. “What does that mean?”

Chrissy shrugged and took a drink from her beer. Eddie took a few steps closer to her. “Is Steve asking about me?”

She had let it slip earlier that she’d gotten together with him and Eddie tried not to let it bother him. They’d only exchanged a few messages since he had been in his tattoo chair. Eddie had tried to keep it cool, letting Steve know scars were finicky and not to worry about any areas that healed strangely. He’d be able to touch them up. Eddie had winced to himself at the double entendre and then the conversation hadn’t really progressed like before.

Chrissy shrugged again and Eddie wanted to shake her.

“Chris, you’re killing me.” He gulped down his own beer and sighed. “Look. I tried to be so professional with Steve. If I made him uncomfortable I can apologize or whatever. But yeah, he’s fucking gorgeous and sweet and funny and completely out of my league. You probably know all of this, and you’re fucking with me. To win a dumb game of pool. But, for your own sick twisted amusement, yes. I know I have zero chance, but I know I’ve never been that hard while tattooing someone. Does that answer all the things of your question?”

She just nodded, but had a small sly grin on her face.

Eddie lost three games of pool before he called it a night. Then went home and scrolled through his messages with Steve to torture himself.

“Are you inviting your boy to the party?”

Eddie actually looked behind him to see who Gareth was talking to, and not seeing anyone in the vicinity, he frowned. “Huh?”

“The big end of summer thing at Argyle’s? Are you going to invite Steve?”

Eddie dropped his phone, and Gareth snickered at him. “He’s not- Wha- Do- uh.” He looked around the packed shop, lowering his voice. “Should I?”

Gareth rolled his eyes. “How long are you going to keep circling each other? You obviously both like each other, he gets along well with all of us somehow, you act like a lovestruck teenager when he’s around. What’s stopping you?”

Eddie thunked his head on the table and Gareth chuckled at his dramatics.

He’d always kept a decent eye on his schedule and appointments, Argyle complimenting him because trying to figure out the other guy’s schedules and trying to work with their convoluted systems was more than he could take some days.

It wasn’t until he walked into his office and found Steve there instead of the promised Mike Hawk that he second guessed giving him access to his calendar.

“Oh. Um. Hi, Steve. Why are you- I mean, its good to see you, but well, uh…”

Eddie trailed off, awkwardly standing in his own doorway.

“It may have been Chrissy’s idea,” Steve supplied. “And Argyle… could put someone in your calendar. I couldn’t get a hold of you, and I didn’t really want to bother you by just showing up and taking away from your work, I just, I dunno.” He was so genuine and seemed shy now somehow, even more endearing to Eddie.

“Uh, sure. That doesn’t seem stalkery at all,” Eddie huffed.

“Think of it more as, I dunno, just a surprise appointment instead of being tricked by all of your friends.” Steve grabbed the back of his neck, smirking.

“Oh? Is that what we are? Friends?”

That didn’t seem to deter Steve at all, in fact his smile widened and maybe blushing.

“I was hoping, to be that, or…” Steve stood, and Eddie realized he was wearing the black sweatpants he had sent him home in. “Since I sort of have an appointment, could you look at this tattoo for me? The last guy, he did his best, but you know, tattoos over scars can be finicky, I hear.”

Eddie laughed, his heart unclenching. “Yeah, you know not all tattoo artists are as professional as me.”

Steve walked closer to him, reaching behind him to pull his door shut. Eddie swallowed.

Wiggling out of the sweatpants and turning, Eddie let out a gasp. Steve stood before him in a jockstrap, tattoo still healing but areas on and around his scars lighter and fuzzier. However, his brain mostly clued into the fact that Steve’s entire ass was bare to him, and all of his long legs.

“Uhh huh, well it does seem like your scars haven’t taken the ink as well. C-can, um, can you stay here for a minute? Just give me one minute?”

Steve turned again, giving him a small nod and stepping back into his (Eddie’s) sweats.

In the middle of the tattoo shop, Eddie stopped and looked around. Only about half of the guys were in today. Weekdays they didn’t all need to be here. Argyle smirked at him from the front desk. Eddie glared and approached him quickly.

“What is this all about? You putting fake names in my schedule for people to ambush me now?”

“Hey, you’re welcome, brochacho. Go back there and get your shit together.”

Eddie laughed, all his annoyance gone instantly. He met Argyle’s outstretched fist with his own, shaking his head. “Thanks, man.”

Realizing he had actually left a hot half naked guy alone in his office, he quickly grabbed stuff from his work station and hustled back, locking the door behind him.

Steve was lounging on his couch with his arms crossed, making his arms and shoulders look ridiculous.

“So, um, this last dude who tattooed you, was he- you know, did you like him?” Eddie grinned, tucking his tongue behind his teeth.

“Ah, he was alright. I think I’m going to like you a lot better though.”

Eddie chuckled, shaking his head as he dumped his stuff on his desk.

“I think we’re going to set up shop back here, if that’s cool with you. I kind of got drug over the coals for, uh, an interesting session a few weeks ago. The boys won’t let me live down another performance like that. And since we’re just doing a touch up…”

Steve reached behind his head to grab the collar of his shirt and pulled it off with a flourish. “Fine by me. Although, between us, that guy probably enjoyed the attention.”

Eddie stopped to groan, rubbing over his face. “Fuck. Well, maybe next time then, Stevie.”

His gaze slid from his cocky grin down his hairy chest, down to his tantalizing happy trail that was still burned in his memory from the bar that night.

“God, you’re pretty,” he breathed, unaware he had said it out loud until the belly he was eyeing shuddered with a laugh.

“Where do you want me, Eds?”

“Uhh, there’s an old bench shoved here somewhere. Gotta be more comfortable than on my desk.” As he said it, he winced but he watched as Steve’s eyes darkened.

“Yeah, you can bend me over your desk another time.”

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie chuckled.

Eddie popped up the dusty table, quickly but efficiently wiping it down with disinfectant before beckoning him over. Steve stood again, sliding the sweats from his legs as Eddie watched, enraptured. He didn’t take his eyes off of him as he laid down, arching his back as he positioned himself and had to hang his arms off the sides to fit.

Other tattoos he hadn’t gotten to see before drew his attention away from the magnificent ass, some script across his ribs and a baseball bat with nails through it on his bicep.

The one he’d done on his thigh was the biggest, and was the most detailed. If he’d known (or had thought to ask any questions) he would’ve prepared Steve better for the pain he’d had to endure. Hindsight being what it was, he just shrugged at himself and carried on. Nothing to do for it now. Steve had come back, after all.

Sucking in a deep breath, Eddie traced a finger down his spine and over the leg strap that crossed over the tattoo. “Gunna slide this up a little, baby.”

The word felt like too much, hanging between them, but Steve made a little affirmative noise in his throat and arched into the touch.

Eddie put his gloves on, got his tray set up and let himself believe this was actually happening.

“You gunna sit so good for me again, sweetheart?”

Steve whined and nodded, Eddie watched his fingers flex into fists.

“Your pretty little mermaid for everyone to see, been showing it off to everyone?”

“No, haven’t, not really. Did everything you said. Even kept it out of the sun.”

Eddie coughed to cover the little whimper that came out of him, when he realized there were no tan lines to be found on all of the skin under his hands. Steve must sunbathe in the nude, but hadn’t been with his new tattoo.

“You like following my directions, Stevie?” He smirked even though he knew Steve couldn’t see.

“Yes sir.”

Eddie almost dropped the tattoo gun. “Fuck, sweetheart. Just relax. Just be a good boy for now, okay? I’ll take care of you.”

“Mhm,” Steve whined as Eddie continued. Thankfully his previous self had plotted the scars mostly in the mermaids dark hair or background, easily able to blend into shadows and such so he didn’t need to redo stencils or think very much, since most of his focus was again on the little noises Steve was making and his ass under his hands.

Steve had definitely been holding back the first time, because now the noises were even more constant and pornographic. Eddie knew he was dripping in his boxers, trying his best to quickly deposit the ink in Steve’s perfect skin.

“Doing so well, pretty boy.”

“Feels good, Eds. Could sit here forever,” Steve whimpered.

“Mhm,” Eddie hummed, not acknowledging the lie as he watched Steve’s jaw flex and the muscles bunch under his hands. “Relax, Steve. Or I’ll stop.”

Cooing at his devastated noise, Eddie wiped ink from his body again and pressed a kiss to his side, making Steve cry out and his hips jolt.

“Oh fuck, you’re going to be the death of me. How can you be this hot?”

Eddie stopped. “Huh? Me?”

“Of course, Eds. You think all of this was for show? I just get naked in front of people I don’t think are hot?”

That stumped him. “I mean- uh, but-“

“I thought I was pretty blatant the first time, but Chrissy-“

“Chrissy,” Eddie groaned. Of course she was in on this. This stunt had her name written all over it. “Holy shit.”

Steve rolled over on his other hip to look up at him. “Eds, it was her idea but only because I had been whining to her about not knowing how to get your attention. She said you were not going to catch any subtle teasing or jealousy tactics, that I’d have to go big and obvious. This was as, uh, big and obvious as we could agree upon.”

Eddie frowned. “Agree upon?”

“Chrissy had much more elaborate plans, but I didn’t want to like publicly embarrass either of us. I just wanted it to be us, and you know, maybe the shop guys, that was really hot last time. But-“

Eddie stopped him with a kiss, Steve grinning into it and finally wrapping his arms around him. He ripped the black rubber gloves from his hands and someone pushed the tray of supplies out of the way, then suddenly he had a lapful of mostly naked Steve.

When they finally broke apart gasping, he traced Steve’s wet bottom lip with his thumb and Steve pulled it into his mouth. “Goddamn you’re amazing. So fucking gorgeous. Could look at you forever.”

Steve gave him a blinding smile from around his thumb, licking across the pad before letting it go. “Promise?”

“Yes, baby.”

Their lips crashed together again and Eddie’s hands went to his hair to hold him where he wanted him and around his waist to pull him closer, their hard lengths meeting between their layers. Eddie knew this was not good for his brand new tattoo but he couldn’t break their desperate kiss.

Steve kissed down his jaw to his neck, nosing his hair out of his way.

“Stevie baby, gotta-“

He laughed at the petulant whine he received. “Settle down, just don't want to fuck up all the work I did, even though I know redoing it again would be enjoyable for both of us. Turn over for me and I’ll take care of you.”

Working together, they arranged Steve to stand bending over the table and Eddie slid close behind him, licking across his hole and sliding a hand into the front of his jock.

“Please, please Eds- oh my god,” Steve wailed as he fucked himself back and forth, not sure if he wanted to rut himself into his mouth or his hand.

“I got you, sweetheart. Come for me and I’ll clean you all up and take you home.”

Steve arched back into him again. “That’s the hottest thing anyone’s ever said. Ever.”

Eddie swiped his tongue over his spasming hole again, making him shudder. “I think you’re a bit biased right now, but I’ll remember that.”

Ignoring his own throbbing cock, he slurped and stroked until Steve made the hottest noise he’d ever heard (he was definitely biased), coming hard into his sexy little jockstrap.

“That’s my good boy,” Eddie growled, nosing between his legs against his clothed spent balls and making Steve whimper.

“Stay still and let me wrap your fucking tattoo and then I’m dragging you home.”

“Y’ssir,” Steve slurred, slumping down onto his hands on the table, poking his ass up further into the air.

“Can’t believe you rode your motorcycle to get a tattoo on your ass, you absolute menace,” Eddie huffed.

“I was hopeful I would be getting a ride after.”

Eddie cackled along with Steve as they took the short drive to his place.

“As if there would be any other possible outcome with you throwing your gorgeous self at me.”

Steve shrugged, undoing his seatbelt. “Could’ve been. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.”

Eddie looked at him like he was insane. “You mean, like, blind people? Lesbians?”

Giggling, Steve stuck his tongue out playfully. Eddie pretended to reach for it. “I’m a hit with lesbians, for the record.”

“Of course you are, handsome. Now get inside before I embarrass both of us in this parking lot.”

Wanting to get out of the shop quickly and without many eyes on them, Eddie had persuaded Steve just to put the sweatpants back on and snuck out the back staff door. Steve had confirmed that the rest of his appointments for the evening had also been fake (Benedict Phalange and Jack M. Ihoff, he needed to get more creative friends honestly) so they could run off without guilt.

Eddie left Steve waiting impatiently on his doorstep as he rushed around his apartment throwing dirty clothes into his closet, gathered all the trash from his coffee table and as a last resort sprayed air freshener everywhere.

Pulling the door back open with a flourish, he ducked his head down and bowed, putting on a voice. “My liege, welcome to my very humble abode. Me casa es the landlords casa, unfortunately. But it’s supposedly earthquake proof.”

Steve snickered at him, pulling him from his low bow and pushing him against the door. “Well let’s test that out, shall we?”

“Fuck, I’m keeping you,” Eddie groaned before meeting his hungry kiss. “Let’s go test out the shower first.”

After pushing and pulling each other to the bathroom and losing clothes along the way, after they’d wriggled Eddie’s pants off, Steve looked him over with wide eyes.

Eddie felt unnerved for a long moment before Steve made a low appreciative noise and ran a finger from the ink on his throat to the metal through his nipple and gasped as his eyes trailed lower.

“It’s yours?”

Eddie frowned, almost gasping himself as Steve dropped to his knees in front of him, then realized what had grabbed Steve’s attention. “Oh. You didn’t know?”

Steve traced along the harpy tattoo above his knee. “I didn’t know it was on you, Mr. Humble. Letting me rave over it and you didn’t feel the need to tell me you tattooed it onto yourself? That’s beyond badass, Eds.”

Maybe finally cluing into the fact that he was kneeling in front of him, Steve looked up from under his lashes at him, pressing a quick wet kiss to the tattoo before hooking his fingers in the elastic of Eddie’s boxer briefs to pull them down.

“Is- are- oh my god.”

“Not sure I can answer that one, honey,” Eddie laughed.

Steve continued staring until he finally thumbed at the metal through the head of his cock. “How do you keep getting hotter?” He pulled back, shedding his (Eddie’s) sweatpants and jockstrap in one motion. “C’mon, I need that in my mouth right the fuck now.”

Eddie would be embarrassed for the noise that came out of him as Steve sunk to his knees the moment they stepped in the shower, but then his brain was being sucked out of his dick. He threw one hand out to hold himself up and slid the other into Steve’s thick hair as his hot mouth slid down his length.

He realized his eyes had slid closed and forced them back open to see the gorgeous man below him. “Fuck, baby. Look so good like this,” he gasped.

Steve pushed himself up another inch with a high whine before pulling off. “Can’t take your huge cock.”

Eddie thought his legs were going to drop out from under him as Steve dived back down to swallow around the head of his dick. “Jesus Christ, where did you come from?”

All he could do was try to stay standing, almost sure his brain was going down the shower drain watching Steve as he lapped against the piercing or his cute little furrowed brow as he tried his best to take him down to the hilt.

“Don’t hurt yourself, sweetheart. Doing so good.”

He huffed, sending air across the head of his cock and he jolted a bit, making his piercing slide across Steve’s lips. “Just want all of it,” he pouted.

Unable to help himself, he grabbed a better handful of the hair on the back of Steve’s head and pulled his mouth back onto him. “Tap me if you need to,” he rasped.

Steve made a pretty keening noise and blinked up at him.

Pushing forward only a little further than Steve had been able to take before, he waited for Steve to take a long breath before fucking into his mouth.

“Such a good boy,” he couldn’t help but groan as his throat opened up for him. Carefully inching forward again, he rocked back and forth, leaving only a couple inches untouched.

Steve pushed against his thigh and he quickly backed off, but Steve gasped out, “So fucking hot, Eds. Do it harder. And I want all of it. Make me take it.”

Eddie’s knees almost gave out. “The fucking mouth on you, pretty boy.”

The only response he received was a low hum around the head of his cock before Steve pushed himself down onto this length and looked up expectantly at him.

He watched his face intently as he used the grip on his wet hair to pull him steadily forward. Sliding past his perfect lips, he moaned as they met the curly hair at the base and Steve swallowed around him.

“That’s it baby,” he huffed, yanking him off and letting him suck in a shallow breath before rocking all the way back in. Tears joined the water dripping down his cheeks but he wouldn’t let Eddie stop, whining and shoving himself back down even as his gag reflex fought him. “God, I lo-“ he shook his head. It was too soon. “Gunna come, Stevie.”

Steve bobbed his head and kept humming and swallowing around him until Eddie saw stars and reached above him for the shower rod to hang on to as he came down his throat.

“Oh fuck,” he hissed as the soft tongue cleaned him up. Then he almost hit the floor again when Steve looked up at him with his big round eyes, wrapping both hands around his own hard dick, getting himself off while looking him up and down. “Come for me, beautiful. Then I’m chaining you to my bed. Never letting you go.”

“Ah! Eds!” Steve made eye contact with him as he shuddered through his release, finally leaning his forehead against Eddie’s hip to catch his breath.

Once they were cleaned up and dry, cuddled up in bed, Steve looked around searchingly and Eddie raised an eyebrow at him. “Where’re your chains?”

Days later after not getting to see each other due to their schedules and Eddie trying not to come on too strongly (honestly he’d ask Steve to move in with him if he didn’t think he would run away screaming), Steve picked him up for Argyle’s party.

“I don’t know that I consented to a motorcycle ride,” Eddie smirked. God, don’t get hard. Don’t get hard.

“Parking over there is atrocious, this way we won’t have to walk a mile.”

Eddie kissed his cheek as he took the helmet held out for him. “Good thinking, sweetheart.”

He tried not to get too excited. But the vibration of the bike under him and holding on to Steve as he zipped through the city was exhilarating. Steve wiggled his hips back into him teasingly. He growled into his ear, “Be good.”

Steve shook his head and wiggled again. Eddie grabbed his hips and rutted his hard cock against his back. When that only made the wiggling continue, he looked around quickly before sliding his hand down between Steve’s legs.

Chuckling darkly against his shoulder as he gasped and revved the engine. “Don’t kill us, pretty, haven’t gotten to do everything I want to you yet.”

The hardness in his hand twitched and Steve slowed down the bike, turning a corner and taking them down a more deserted street.

“And don’t come,” he hissed as he squeezed a bit tighter.

They made it to Argyle’s in one piece miraculously, Steve whining at him as he hopped off the bike and pulled both of their helmets off to meet his lips.

“C’mon Stevie, before we get arrested in his front yard for indecent exposure.”

No one was surprised to see them walk in together, Eddie had been unable to stop talking about their developing relationship to anyone and everyone who would listen. Drew would jokingly make gagging noises at him and Gareth would loudly fake moan from next to him in the studio or bar.

“Ah our favorite pet project has arrived!” Argyle called out when he saw them, nudging Chrissy who was draped over his shoulder, apparently this meddling had brought them back together.

“Hey guys,” Chrissy beamed at them.

It was unbearably hot, but under the umbrellas and awning in the back of the house it was a bit more tolerable, and people were jumping in and out of the pool.

Eddie almost swallowed his tongue when Steve came out of the bathroom wearing a tiny sporty looking speedo and nothing else. He grabbed his elbow and pulled him back into the bathroom. “Are you trying to kill me? What is that?”

Steve just grinned. “It’s a pool party, babe. This is a bathing suit,” speaking slowly and deliberately like he was explaining something very complicated. “You wear it in the pool.”

“Uh huh, smart ass. What about keeping your new tattoo out of the sun? You’re pushing it, you’re already lucky I’m letting you swim at all.”

“Mmm, let me, Eds? What else do I have your permission to do?” Steve pulled him close by the waistband of his own plain black trunks.

“Fuck, you are trying to kill me,” he breathed, closing the distance between their lips. But after a quick kiss he pulled back. Looking into his eyes, he promised lowly, “Keep being a brat and you’ll end up bent over Argyle’s weird furniture. You have one free cheek.”

Someone knocked hard on the door and they jumped apart. One of Argyle’s friends snickered at them as they hurried out past him.

Steve continued teasing him incessantly throughout the party, dragging him into the pool and wrapping his arms and legs around him so Eddie could carry him around, after they’d gotten out and dried off he got back in then plopped his cold wet self right onto Eddie’s lap and got comfortable. Taking any opportunity to touch him, pulling him in for kisses mid-sentence with their friends if he felt like it, licking invisible crumbs from his fingers as he ate.

“This must be the famous Eddie, then,” a voice came from above them and Steve squawked as he jumped up to throw his arms around the person.

Eddie recognized her immediately from Steve’s instagram.

“Robin! I thought you couldn’t make it!” He was almost jumping up and down, Eddie found himself grinning just from how excited he was.

“Well I texted you a bunch, but it seems like you don’t have your phone.” She looked pointedly down to his tiny bathing suit.

Steve smirked at her and they shared a long look, seeming to have a conversation without talking.

“So Eddie, what are your intentions with my platonic soulmate?” Robin asked seriously as she dropped into the chair next to him. “How do you feel about him wanting six kids?”

Eddie looked quickly between them, throat going dry suddenly, “Uhhh, I mean, um-“

“Aww leave him alone, Bob. I’ve already been messing with him all day,” Steve laughed, plopping himself back into Eddie’s lap.

As the day went on, drinks were consumed and games played, Steve still finding any excuse to use Eddie as a chair and pressing his lips anywhere he could reach.

The final straw was when Steve plucked an ice cube from Eddie’s drink and as he watched, licked some of the dripping drink from it but instead of popping the entire thing in his mouth (which would’ve been hot enough on its own), he tucked it down the front of Eddie’s swim trunks.

Robin laughed at them as Eddie squeaked before grabbing Steve’s hand and pulling him into the house.

Steve’s wide grin told him everything he needed to know.

“Thought you liked being my good boy, why are you acting up?” He crowded close to him, cupping his face and making him meet his eyes.

“Want you, Eds, please,” Steve pouted and gave him big puppy dog eyes.

“You’ve been sitting on my dick all day, honey. What else do you need? Huh?”

Steve pulled away and Eddie almost pouted himself, but then he just looked around before asking, “Are there bedrooms here?”

Barking a quick relieved laugh, he took his hand again and they ran up the stairs. Locking the door and pushing Steve against it, he met his desperate kiss and lined up their hips with a groan.

“Take this tiny thing off, babe.” He pulled at the hip of his speedo and Steve giggled.

Together they got their suits off and Eddie shoved him until he landed on the bed. He pulled open the nightstand and his eyebrows shot up. “Good for you, Argyle.”

He threw a condom and a small bottle of lube onto the bed and left the rest alone.

“Yessss, want your huge cock in me,” Steve hissed as he squirmed around on the bed.

“Settle down, Stevie, I think I promised you something else if you were going to keep being a brat,” he taunted.

“Want that, too.” He maneuvered himself onto his knees with his back to Eddie.

Momentarily distracted by his own art on the expanse of skin before him, his eyes then traveled up and he let out a deep groan. “Holy fuck, Stevie. How haven’t I seen this one?”

Eddie traced over the delicate lettering right under his perfect dimples in the small of his back, his jaw actually dropping. “You are just a pretty little babygirl, aren’t you?”

Steve arched his back with a high whine as he dragged his finger down between his cheeks. Without warning he slapped across his bare cheek and chuckled at his little squeak.

“More, c’mon,” he taunted, rising up on his hands on the bed.

Eddie hummed thoughtfully and swatted harder against him a handful of times in quick succession before grabbing a handful of cheek in a harsh grip, enjoying the rough inhale of breath and little whimper he received.

He continued spanking down his thigh and swatting over his perfect tramp stamp until everything was a warm pink and Steve was writhing and widening his legs so he’d get a peak of his pretty hole.

“Please,” Steve whined prettily. “Need your cock, please. Oh fuck!” Eddie smacked once more hard across his ass.

Quickly grabbing the lube, he chuckled as Steve flopped down onto his face on the bed, arching his back and immediately showing off his ass. Eddie swiped his wet fingers across it, trying to prepare him quickly as his own dick screamed at him to just shove inside.

Finally after Steve was a quivering whimpering mess on the bed, he removed his fingers and rolled the condom on.

“Oh, c-could, um,” Steve stammered.

“Why’re you gettin’ shy on me now, pretty? What do you want?”

He huffed, half hiding his face into the sheet under him, and Eddie tried as best he could to patiently wait for him to say something.

“Can, you know, can we do it the other way? Wanna see you. Hold onto you.” Steve couldn’t look at him while he said it, and Eddie wanted to go throttle whoever had told this gorgeous man that he didn’t deserve to be taken care of.

“C’mere, Stevie,” he cooed, and his eyes shot to his, widening when he realized Eddie was serious. He turned over, sitting up on the edge of the bed and Eddie knelt in front of him, pulling him in close. “Gunna treat you so well, babygirl. You already have me wrapped right around your little finger. Of course we can do romantic and soft,” he laughed.

Steve’s eyebrows turned down and he gave him a little pout. “Didn’t say anything about soft,” he grumbled.

They laughed together, and Eddie pressed a kiss to the side of his mouth, then his forehead. “Gunna have me eating out of your hand, aren’t you babygirl? Gunna have me completely whipped. I can already tell.”

Steve simply shrugged and pulled him in for a deeper kiss, wrapping his arms and legs around him. Finally he pulled away, gasping, “Please fuck me already. I can’t wait anymore. And Robin is very needy, she’ll come look for us soon.”

Eddie snorted. “Oh, she’s needy, huh? Must’ve learned that from you.”

He watched as he got his gorgeous self spread out across the bed, fluffing pillows behind his head and threw one playfully at Eddie who helped him shove it under his hips.

He teased him for a long moment, dragging the pierced head of his cock around his hole and over his balls until he was whining and grasping handfuls of sheet. The first push inside made his eyes cross, holding on tight to his thick thighs under his hands. “Like you were made for me, baby.”

Leaning over him, he kissed down his neck and over his nipples, giving them extra attention when it made him clench around him and cry out. “Oh yeah, baby? Sensitive little things, huh? Maybe we’ll see if Argyle can pierce them for you. Or better yet, I’ll get him to show me how, and I’ll be the one to make you even prettier.”

“Oh fuck, yes, oh my god,” Steve wailed as he met the harried thrusts. “I don’t know how you’re real. God I love- love your fucking cock.”

Eddie hummed into his neck. Not the cleanest coverup he’d heard, but he hid his smirk by dragging his teeth across his collarbone. “Going to give me a complex, sweet thing. All this big talk.”

Steve shook his head petulantly, reaching down to feel where he was being split open, squeezing around the base where it wasn’t even all the way in. “It’s so big, Eds. Like even if you weren’t so sweet and the hottest thing on two legs, I’d give it up just for this.”

“Oh, that’s very romantic, honey,” he huffed. Deciding he could talk too well while getting fucked, he pushed at his leg and pulled it over his shoulder, opening him wider and laughing as Steve cried out.

Able to push all the way in now, he got lost in the back and forth, gazing between Steve’s blissed out face and watching himself disappear into him.

“Can- oh! Can feel you in my throat. So deep, Eds. Gunna come.”

Eddie echoed Steve’s groan as his big hands came up to play with his own nipples, Eddie encircling his leaking cock and matching his thrusts.

Steve came hard between them, his gorgeous noises and the clenching around his dick sending Eddie over the edge right behind. Slumping down onto him as they tried to catch their breath, Eddie smirked into his skin when his legs wrapped around his hips.

“I’m not going anywhere, babygirl.”

Surprisingly none of their friends came to look for them, and eventually they had to face the music.

Robin rolled her eyes at them as they opened the sliding glass door to the backyard, and cried out when Steve rushed around to pool towards her.

“No running by the pool, dingus! You’d think you’d be more careful after your crazy embarrassing accident at state.”

Eddie frowned, his attention switching back to Steve as he groaned and went to cover Robin’s mouth. But the secret had already been spilled.

“But I guess Eddie could just cover up more scars,” she giggled, narrowly avoiding Steve’s flailing arms to smirk over at Eddie.

Finally clicking all the pieces together, he found his voice. “You told me it was a motorcycle accident!”

[queenjunothegreat]

Hihihihi!!!!! Hello everyone!! I'm back, and I'm back with a Valgrace fic for @itspercyintime as a (late) entry for the @pjo-equinox-solstice-exchange! I'm super duper sorry about the delay! I've never actually done any traveling over holidays before and I had NO idea how much time it took up! (｡•́︿•̀｡) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fic!

Leo set his creation down on the counter with pride, and pushed it over towards its owner. “One freakishly caffeinated vanilla latté for Blondie.” “Blondie?” the guy asked, taking his drink. Leo couldn’t help but notice how his eyes sparkled when he smiled, and it made his heart thump a bit faster in his chest. “I mean, what else was I supposed to do? You never told me your name.” “And you never asked,” he countered playfully. *** Leo works the late night shift at a 24 hour café, despite his own personal distaste for every type of coffee under the sun. Usually, he spends his nights working on his homework alone in the empty shop until he finds himself with a regular whose awkward charm and earnest smile steals his breath away. Now, if only Leo could learn his name

For all its ups and downs, Leo really liked his job. Coffee Heaven Brewers was a tiny local coffee shop that was close enough to his apartment for him to walk there and back with no issues; he liked his coworkers and the managers, Percy and Annabeth, were cool in their own different ways; the place was open 24 hours a day, which meant that they were more than happy to just let him have that late night shift no one else wanted; and, most importantly, the pay was good enough to keep him on top of his monthly student loan payments while also letting him have a little money left over for fun stuff. 

The one problem? He hated coffee.

He absolutely couldn't stand the stuff. The caffeine made him jittery in a way he didn't like, and the taste churned his stomach and made his face pucker up in disgust. Even just the smell made his eyes water when Annabeth was grinding it up fresh after roasting. He hated coffee, but everything else about his job was fantastic, so he figured he could put up with it. Besides, hardly anyone came in on his shift, so it wasn't even that huge of a problem anyway. 

Until, one day, it was. 

“Um, excuse me? Is anyone working here?”

Leo’s head whipped up from his laptop, eyes wide. He’d been working on his homework at one of the dining area tables, like he always did when the shop got dead in the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, he’d gotten really focused and completely missed the little bell that signified the entrance of a customer, and now some blond dude was standing at the counter, trying to peer around to see if maybe there was a barista hiding behind the espresso machine.

“Shit! Sorry, man!” Leo yelped, hopping to his feet and scrambling over to the register. “I totally didn’t see you come in.”

The blond guy looked at him, puzzled, and cocked his head to the side. “Do you work here?”

Leo glanced down at the apron he was wearing, emblazoned with the café’s logo, and then around at the shop that was deserted, other than the two of them, and then finally back to the customer. “Uh, yeah?”

“Oh.” 

The guy continued to just stare at Leo, until Leo cleared his throat. “Do you, um, want to order something?”

The guy just kept on blinking like a very confused owl until his eyes went wide and his cheeks went pink. “Oh! Yes! Sorry. I’m, uh, tired I guess.”

“Considering it’s like three in the morning, I totally get that,” Leo grinned. “I’m guessing you need caffeine and a lot of it.”

The guy sheepishly scratched the back of his neck and gave Leo an eye-crinkling smile. “Yeah. Can I just get a large vanilla latté with, like, six shots of espresso?”

Leo’s eyes widened, but he dutifully typed in the order. “Sure, dude. Your funeral though. That will be $10.95.”

The guy fished out his wallet and swiped his card before stuffing a few bills in the empty tip jar next to the register. He gave Leo another brilliant smile. “Thanks.”

“No problem!” Leo beamed back at him. “I’ll have it out in just a sec, okay? Just wait over there.”

With that, he turned his back on the guy and got to work. As always, he couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose at the smell of the brewing espresso shots, and the milk steamer made its usual awful noise, and he had to double check the book for how many pumps of syrup went in a large latté, but eventually he had a piping hot cup of coffee in his hand. He’d even been kind enough to add a couple extra pumps of syrup to counteract all the bitter coffee, free of charge. At least, he hoped the syrup would help. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if there was anything that could save that particular drink.

He set his creation down on the counter with pride, and pushed it over towards its owner. “One freakishly caffeinated vanilla latté for Blondie.”

“Blondie?” the guy asked, taking his drink. 

Leo couldn’t help but notice how his eyes sparkled when he smiled, and it made his heart thump a bit faster in his chest. “I mean, what else was I supposed to do? You never told me your name.”

“And you never asked,” he countered playfully. Then he took a sip of his drink and his eyes widened. He pursed his lips and stared at the cup with something akin to confusion, and Leo felt his heart sink a bit. 

“Do you, uh, like it?” Leo asked hesitantly. “I can redo it if you don’t.”

“No!” the guys said instantly. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “Sorry. Yeah, no, this is, uh, it’s fine. I’ve just, uh, never had one quite like it before.”

“That’s the Leo Special Touch,” Leo grinned, confidence bolstered. “That or the extra syrup I put in there.”

“The Leo Special Touch, huh?” the guy asked, arching his eyebrows. “And you’re Leo?”

“The one and only!” Leo bit his lower lip then, as casually as possible, asked, “And you? You got my name, do I get yours?”

“Maybe next time.” Half of the guy’s face twitched in what was probably the most endearing failure of a wink Leo had ever seen before he turned and started out the door. “See you around, Leo!”

“See you, Blondie!”

Once he was gone, Leo wiped down all of his equipment, then sat himself back down at his table. Unfortunately, not much homework got done that night, his thoughts too busy drifting back to fluffy blond hair and pretty blue eyes that crinkled up over a blinding smile. He didn’t think he minded all that much. 

*-*-*-*

Leo didn't see Blondie for almost two weeks, which was definitely a bummer in some ways. He'd spent the first few days after their fateful encounter furtively glancing at the door every few minutes during his shifts, and letting out deep, forlorn sighs every time he saw that the café was still empty, other than him. After that, he had a structural analysis test that he wasn’t even remotely ready for and pretty much forgot everyone who wasn't his professors or Esteban, the recurring character in his textbook's examples and word problems. 

But now, after countless hours of suffering, he was free. The exam was done, his grade was returned, and Leo was still passing all of his classes, so he was actually paying attention for once when the bell above the door chimed.

“Welcome to Coffee Heaven Brewers,” Leo drawled lazily. “This week's specials are— Oh, it's you!”

Blondie reared back and looked around like he actually thought that Leo was talking to someone else in the empty coffee shop. Then he gave Leo a sheepish smile and a wave as he walked up to the register. “Yeah, it’s me again. I’ll be honest, I’m surprised you even remember me.”

“I’ll be honest, me too,” Leo grinned. “So, you want that same caffeine abomination you got last time?”

Blondie looked almost sick for a split second before he blurted out a “No!” Then his actions seemed to catch up with him and he grimaced. “Sorry, no. Not, uh, not that again. I… like trying new drinks every time I get coffee.” Leo cocked an eyebrow up at him. Blondie had said his order with the practiced confidence of someone who drank the same thing every night, but he just shrugged and accepted the answer. “Alright then. What can I get for you?”

“How about, um…” Blondie trailed off as he studied the board, and Leo studied him. There was something different about him this time around, but Leo couldn’t quite place it. He still had his endearingly awkward wave, and his hair was still fluffy in that way that reminded Leo of freshly blow-dried Golden Retriever puppies, and his sparkling blue eyes still crinkled up at the corners when he smiled at Leo. 

Suddenly, Leo’s eyes widened as he realized what the difference was. There, sitting neatly on the bridge of Blondie’s nose was a pair of glasses. They were pretty, understated things, but the glass was perfectly polished and clean, and the thin gold wire bands glinted in the warm café lighting. He looked charming and put together and like the romantic lead in a Hallmark movie. Leo was pretty sure that if he put those exact same glasses on his face, they’d immediately become lopsided and smudged with grease, and he’d wind up looking like Dorkatron 9000 rather than a professor at a small college town who drank Earl Grey tea and had a laugh like velvet that had been lying in the sun. 

“Okay, so I’d like to order–”

“You’re wearing glasses!” Leo said. Well, it was more of an accusation, really, but that wasn’t important.

Blondie was visibly startled again. “Um, yes? Is that not allowed or something?”

“Are they new?” Leo asked. 

“No? Why?”

“You weren’t wearing them last time you came in.”

Blondie thought about that, then shrugged. “I’m pretty sure I had lacrosse practice that evening, and I almost always wear my contacts when I’m doing sports. Usually, I take them out right after, but I must have been distracted that night or something.”

“You play lacrosse?” Leo asked, perking up. “Where at? That’s super cool.”

“I’m varsity at NRU,” Blondie said, ducking his head like he was trying to avoid any further praise from Leo.

“NRU?” Leo echoed, bouncing on his toes. “No way! I go there, too!”

“I had kind of assumed, based on the fact that I walked in on you doing homework last time,” Blondie joked.

“Yeah, yeah. Yuck it up,” Leo said with a dramatic eye roll. “Now, do you want coffee or not?”

“Well, I was trying to order when you interrupted me,” Blondie teased. Leo just puffed out his cheeks, and Blondie laughed, proving Leo’s velvet metaphor entirely correct. “Okay, okay. Can I get a large caramel crème?”

“Do you want extra shots in it?”

Blondie narrowed his eyes in confusion. “It doesn’t have any espresso in it, right?”

“Uh.” Leo didn’t want to say outright that he had no idea what a caramel crème even was, but he figured it was pretty obvious when he had to fish out the recipe book from  beside the milk steamer and check. “Oh, yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s got the cold drip stuff.” He bounced right back over to the register and rang him up, grabbing a paper cup and scribbling a name on it. “$6.55, please.”

Once again, Blondie swiped his card and stuffed a few bills in the tip jar before wandering off to the other end of the counter to wait for Leo to do his job. It took more than a little bit of trial and error and a handful of failed attempts, but soon Leo was once again pushing his creation over the counter at his customer. “Ta-da!”

Blondie took the drink, then squinted at the name Leo had scribbled along the side before giving him an amused smirk. “Specs? Really?”

“Well, you still haven’t told me your name–”

“And you still haven’t asked.”

“Plus you didn’t tell me you wear glasses. So, you get to be Specs tonight.”

Specs rolled his eyes, but either he didn't try to mask his fondness, or he was really bad at it, because it was very obvious on his face. “Sorry for the oversight. I also had braces from the ages of twelve to sixteen. Does that make up for my accidental subterfuge, or would you like some more insight into my medical history?”

“Well, you can start with telling me if you like the drink or not.”

Specs looked suspiciously at the cup for a moment before taking a small sip. His face screwed up, and his nose wrinkled like a confused rabbit’s a few times, but then he swallowed heavily and gave Leo a blinding smile. “You really know how to make drinks your own way, don’t you?”

Leo didn’t really know what that was supposed to mean, considering he was pretty sure he followed the recipe exactly, but he still put on a show of casual arrogance. “I try my best.”

“I’m sure.”

“Soooo, do I get to know your name now?” Leo asked eagerly. “Or do you just wanna be called Specs forever?”

Specs seemed to consider that before he gave Leo a grin. “Not this time. Make me a drink that really wows me, and we’ll talk.”

Leo groaned and flopped over the counter. “Come onnn! You’re killing me!”

Specs just giggled quietly before he flicked Leo on the nose. “Maybe next time. See you around, Leo.”

“Yeah, yeah. Rub it in, why don’t you? See ya, Specs.”

And with that, Specs was gone, leaving Leo to replay every word and gentle chuckle he’d gotten out of the other man on repeat in his head. 

*-*-*-*

The next time Leo saw Specs, he was once again neck deep in homework, but this time, he actually heard the door open, so he was able to offer the full force of his smile as soon as the bell rang. Truth be told, Leo had been eagerly awaiting this moment for the last three days. He'd even snuck the recipe book home after his shift one night to do a bit of extra studying, though Annabeth had fussed about it when Will snitched on him.

“Hey, Specs!” Leo chirped, already headed for the register. 

“Hey, Leo,” Specs said, eyes crinkling at the corners. He glanced over at where Leo had commandeered one of the only two six-top tables in the dining area and spread out his entire education. “So, I meant to ask before, but what are you studying?”

“Hm? Oh! Engineering!” Leo said eagerly. “It’s really cool.”

“Yeah? You like it?”

“Mhm,” Leo nodded. “But even if I didn’t I’d still do it.”

Specs cocked his head to the side curiously. “What do you mean by that?”

“My mom was in the middle of getting her degree when she had me, so she had to drop out,” Leo shrugged. “I figure after everything she did for me, I could do this for her.”

Specs’s face went toffee soft, and the smile he gave Leo reminded him so much of fresh baked cookies that his teeth started to ache. “That’s amazing, Leo.”

Leo flushed to the roots of his hair, and ducked his head. He was used to people being impressed about him getting his degree to help fulfill his mom’s dreams, but no one had ever looked at Leo like he was the most important, special person on the planet when they said it. “Yeah, it’s, uh, it’s whatever, you know?” He cleared his throat and roughly shook his head. “Anyway, what about you? You said you were on the lacrosse team, but I’m pretty sure they don’t give out degrees for sports.”

“Sometimes I wish they did,” Specs groaned playfully. “Between lacrosse and tennis, I hardly have time for my degree.”

“Which is?”

“I’m a double major, actually,” Specs said. “I wanted to go to school for history, but my dad would only pay for it if I also studied law. So, I guess I’m doing that, and I’ll try to do something with my history degree, and if that doesn’t work out, I’ll just finish up at law school.”

“Well, the history thing sounds cool,” Leo said slowly. “But I gotta say, I’m not a huge fan of lawyers.”

Specs gave him a wry smile. “Considering my dad is one, me neither.”

Leo snorted, and Specs looked pleased with himself. “So, what, uh, flavor of history do you like?” Leo asked, tripping over his words.

“You mean what’s my focus?” Specs clarified, eyes sparkling with amusement. “I like ancient civilizations, specifically Ancient Rome.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Look.” He started rolling up his sleeve and Leo was greeted with the sight of a somewhat faded tattoo that had started to bleed around the edges, but still clearly read SPQR with a laurel wreath around it. “My friend, Reyna, gave me a stick and poke when we were in high school. It’s an abbreviation for Senatus Populusque Romanus, which is Latin for ‘the Senate and People of Rome.’” 

Leo gawked at it for a moment before he looked up again. “You’re, like, dedicated-dedicated.”

Specs flushed a bit and rolled down his shirt sleeve. “Ah, yeah. Um, sorry.”

“No, dude! Don’t be sorry!” Leo insisted. “I think it’s cool!”

Specs arched an eyebrow at him. “You think being obsessed with the Roman Empire is cool?”

“Well, no, not really,” Leo admitted. “I think it’s kinda dweeby as hell, but it’s also really charming. At least from you. Does that make sense?” 

Specs chuckled and shook his head. “Makes as much sense as everything else you say.”

“You're starting to understand,” Leo said, giving him a wink. Specs just chuckled softly, his cheeks dusting pink. “So, what can I get for you tonight?”

“How about a large cappuccino?” Specs suggested. “No syrups or flavors or anything.”

Leo wrinkled his nose. “You mean you want just espresso, milk, and foam?” Specs nodded and Leo's face screwed up even more. “Alright, man, if you insist. That will be $5.65.”

This time, instead of pulling out his card, Specs held out a crisp ten dollar bill. Leo grabbed it, and as he did their fingers brushed, which sent a jolt of electricity shooting up Leo’s arm. 

Unfortunately, that electricity was more literal than figurative.

“Ye-owch!” Leo yelped, yanking back his hand and shoving his injured fingers in his mouth. “That hurt!”

“Oh my gods, are you okay?” Specs asked, looking genuinely distressed. “I'm so sorry! This happens to me all the time.”

“Don't worry about it; I'll live,” Leo soothed, turning to the nearby sink to wash his hands. When he was done, he took the bill from Specs with over the top caution, then handed over his change in the same manner, making Specs flush even more.

“Sorry again,” Specs mumbled, stuffing all of his change in the tip jar.

“Dude, you don't have to, like, pay for my forgiveness,” Leo laughed. “I already said it's cool.”

Specs just shrugged. “It's whatever. I mean, it's not even mine, really. My dad just puts more money in my account whenever I’m getting low so he doesn’t have to talk to me.”

“Yeah, alright,” Leo agreed easily, not one to argue too hard about free money and also figuring that now wasn’t the time or place to unpack Specs’s daddy issues. He grabbed a cup and a marker and started scribbling on it. “Gimme a sec and I'll get this out to you.”

Specs nodded and went to his customary waiting spot while Leo got to work. Cappuccinos weren't exactly hard to make, in theory, but getting the foam right and making sure all the proportions were balanced wasn't easy. Still, he was pretty proud of what he'd accomplished when he set the cup down and slid it across the bar. “Order up!”

Specs eagerly grabbed the cup and twisted it around until he found where Leo had scribbled out the nickname for the day. When he did, he gave Leo an unimpressed look, his cheeks puffed out and pink. “Really?”

“What’s the matter, Sparky? You don't like it?” Leo grinned. “Maybe you should think next time before you electrocute poor, innocent baristas.”

“You're a jerk,” Sparky informed him, though he didn't really sound all that mad at all. He took a sip of his drink before grimacing slightly and forcing down another sip.

“Well, if you hate the nickname so much, you could tell me your real name,” Leo pointed out, arching his eyebrows. 

“No,” Sparky huffed. “Even if this was the best drink ever, you were mean to me.”

“Do you mean to say it's not the best drink ever?”

“No,” Sparky admitted easily. “But, in your defense, I don’t really like cappuccinos.”

Leo's jaw dropped. “That's not fair!”

“I never said I was playing fair,” Sparky grinned at him, before he turned back to the door. “Maybe next time, Leo.”

“Get out of here, you cheater!” Leo called out after him. As he said the last word, the door swung shut, leaving him alone in the coffee shop.

He was already looking forward to their next meeting. 

*-*-*-*

Leo was admittedly not feeling his best when Sparky came in next. He was… pretty sure he wasn’t sick, despite the throbbing headache he’d been dealing with since before he’d shown up at the shop, and he’d waved away Percy’s concern and insisted that he’d be fine. He was not fine. In fact, he’d been getting worse and worse, and now he was sitting in the darkest, quietest corner of the lobby with his arms folded on the table and his face hidden away from what light was filtering in.

Then he suddenly felt someone softly stroking his hair, and he blearily lifted his head.  There, in front of him was the blurry image of fluffy blond hair and sparkly blue eyes. He pulled out a lazy, half-hearted smile, and smushed his cheek back into his arms. “Well, hey there, Sparky.”

“Leo.” Oh, Leo did not like that tone. That was the tone people, usually Piper, used on him when he wasn’t taking care of himself and they were disappointed in him but didn’t want to say so out loud. Leo didn’t want Sparky to be disappointed in him. “Are you okay?”

“‘M fine,” Leo insisted, shoving himself to his feet. “You want coffee? I can make coffee.”

“What? No, Leo, I–”

Leo wasn’t listening, and he instead started shuffling towards the coffee bar. Unfortunately, he only made it a few steps before he stumbled and started falling face-first towards the floor. Fortunately, Sparky stepped forward and caught him, so he only fell face-first into the big red ‘S’ screen printed on the other man’s shirt. He looked up and gave him a loopy smile. “My own personal Superman.”

Superman just frowned even deeper and helped Leo straighten back up, brushing one of his curls off his face, though he never released Leo enough to let him even try to topple over. “Seriously, Leo. Do I need to call an ambulance or something? You don’t look so hot.”

“You don’t think I’m hot?” Leo whined, and some part of his brain was cognizant enough to be humiliated by the tears that pricked at the corners of his eyes but not enough to do anything about it.

“That’s not what I said and you know it,” Superman chided gently. He carefully ushered Leo over to one of the cushy couches nearby and laid him down. He also took off his own jacket and spread it over Leo like a blanket before he continued talking. “Seriously, do you want me to call an ambulance?”

“No, ‘m fine,” Leo argued, rolling over and pressing his face into the back of the couch. They were both quiet for a moment before Leo broke the silence, his voice a lot smaller than it should be. “Superman?”

“Yeah?”

“I wanna go home.”

“Okay,” Superman promised, his voice hushed. “Okay, Leo. We can make that happen. Do you have a manager you can call?”

“Mhm.” Leo wiggled around a bit before he fished his phone out of his pocket. He clicked the power button and almost immediately dropped it, thanks to the bright light that shone directly in his face. The thought that now he was going to have to get out of his carefully shielded little nook to get his phone and then call Percy and Annabeth made him want to start blubbering like a little baby.

Before he could do anything like that, Superman swooped in and scooped the phone up. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” he said softly. “Gimme your hand.”

“You wanna hold my hand?”

“No, you dork,” Superman laughed quietly. “I need your thumbprint to open your phone.”

“Oh.” Despite the claim, Leo couldn’t help but notice that Superman didn’t let go of his hand, and instead started soothingly rubbing his knuckle with his thumb. 

“Okay, I’ve got your contacts up. What is your manager’s name?”

Leo relayed the information, but he honestly wasn’t paying all that much attention. His head hurt so bad he thought he was going to cry and throw up, in that order. Or maybe in the opposite order. He wasn’t sure. Still, he distantly heard Superman whispering back and forth with someone on the phone, and when he was done, he sat down right next to Leo and started stroking his hair with care unlike anyone but Leo’s Mamá had offered him. Leo just squeezed his eyes shut and focused on breathing deeply, trying very hard not to start bawling.

Leo wasn’t really sure how long he laid there getting his hair petted, but Superman stayed right there with him the whole time. At one point or another, he’d taken his jacket off of Leo’s shoulders and draped it so that Leo’s head was left in a dimly lit mini tent that smelled a bit like the Fresh Breeze candle his mom liked so much. Leo was pretty sure he’d be content to spend the rest of his life right there in that cozy little world with Superman’s fingers combing gently through his curls.

Eventually though, all good things had to end, and Leo felt someone shake his shoulder until he emerged, squinting and whining pitifully at the light, only to see Annabeth’s stern, but deeply concerned frown only a few inches from his own. 

“You’re right, he does look really bad,” Annabeth said softly. “Do you think I should take him to the hospital?”

“I asked him that before, and he just keeps saying he wants to go home,” Superman reported.

“He is right here,” Leo grouched, resisting the urge to hide his face again. “You don’t have to talk over him.”

Annabeth didn’t dignify that with a response, but she did direct her next words at him. “Alright, Leo, here’s the plan: I’m gonna get you home, and I’ll text Piper so she can let your professors know you’re missing class tomorrow, and you’re gonna sleep. Sound good?”

“What about the shop?” Leo protested. “I’m in the middle of my shift.”

“Percy’s gonna cover the rest of your shift tonight, and I’ll see if Nico will take your shift tomorrow,” Annabeth said smoothly. “Do you think you’ll be able to walk, or should I get an Uber?”

Leo thought about that. His apartment was only two blocks from the shop. It would probably take longer to wait for the car to get here and then take him home than it would to stumble there on foot, and he really wanted his bed, now that he knew it was an option. “Can we just walk?”

“Sure thing,” Annabeth promised immediately. “Come on. Up on your feet for me, Valdez.”

Leo allowed Annabeth to push and pull and poke and prod and just bully him in general until he was swaying dangerously on his feet, Superman’s hands outstretched and hovering near his ribs in case he needed some emergency steadying. Then his arm was slung over Annabeth’s shoulders, and the two of them were shuffling towards the door. As the bell chimed, signaling their exit, Leo froze, horror dawning on his features. “Wait!”

In less than a second, Superman was right there, looking like he was ready to start anxiously dancing from foot to foot like a dog waiting for its favorite toy. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I didn't get to make your drink!” Leo blurted. “I can’t get your name if I don’t make your drink!”

Superman’s face went soft and sweet like the center of the cinnamon rolls Percy and Will made for Saturday mornings. “Don’t worry about it; I’ll live,” he promised. “I’ll tell you my name next time you make my drink. You just focus on getting better for me, yeah?”

Leo gave him a somewhat loopy smile and a salute. “Okay. See you next time, Superman.”

“See you next time, Leo.”

With that, Leo let Annabeth lead him home, already dreaming about his bed and all the sleep he was planning on getting over the next two days. Then, he’d come back to work and finally learn Superman’s real name. He just had to sleep off this dumb headache everyone was making a big deal out of first.

*-*-*-*

Leo soon learned that it wasn’t just a dumb headache, and in the most inconvenient way possible.

As it turned out, when Leo’s body decided it was time to get sick, it meant business. The next morning, Leo woke up with a fever so high that when Piper came over to check on him after getting Annabeth’s text, she’d ripped her palm away from his forehead with a yelp of shock. Then, she’d dragged him to the emergency room, refusing to listen to any of his protests by citing that she’d rather be broke and homeless with an alive best friend than rich with a dead one. They were seen pretty quickly, but Leo wasn’t sure if that was more based on how bad his condition was or if it was Piper waving her dad’s credit card at anyone she thought would even be remotely helpful. He could begrudgingly admit that it was sometimes handy to have a best friend with a bank account that held more zeros than Leo had ever seen in his life. 

He’d been diagnosed with the flu, which shouldn’t have been a big deal, considering Leo’s mostly clean bill of health, but the doctor had looked him straight in the eye and informed him that he’d probably be dead if Piper hadn’t thrown her tantrum. He was stuck in the hospital for three whole days, and then ordered to take another three at home to rest, no school or work allowed. He’d grimaced telling Percy the news when he swung by to visit Leo in the hospital, but the guy had only nodded solemnly and promised him the week off, ordering Leo to let him or Annabeth know if he’d need any more recovery time. 

Piper had gone sheet white when the doctor had told Leo how close to death’s door he’d been, and she’d all but superglued herself to Leo’s side. She’d skipped every class she thought she could get away with, and she’d slept in hospital room armchairs and on Leo’s lumpy couch, despite his protests that he’d be fine if she left him alone for a few hours. She, of course, didn’t listen to him, and he’d sniffled quietly to himself and cried about the whole thing to the sound of her snores from her plastic armchair perch.

Now, though, he really was fine. He’d recovered and felt, quite frankly, like a million bucks. A million bucks, cash, even. A million bucks in neat little bricks of bound, crispy bills in a fancy black suitcase. He was finally back at work, but Piper was apparently still a little traumatized, because she’d followed him to the café, still determined to not let him out of her sight. Now, she was sat at one of the tables, playing a solo game of makeshift tiddlywinks she’d fashioned out of some popsicle sticks Leo had fished out of storage for her while Leo leaned against the bar and waited for his shift to end.

“I’m bored,” she announced, for probably the third time in the past two hours.

“I told you this job was boring, especially this time of night,” Leo reminded her. He was stationed behind the counter, flipping through the recipe book in a half-hearted attempt to familiarize himself with the seasonal drinks the shop had rolled out while he was sick and dying. “I can make you a drink or something, if you want.”

Piper visibly gagged. “Ew, gross. No. I don’t even know if I’d trust you to pour me a cup of black coffee.”

Leo spluttered in outrage, feeling his cheeks go pink. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you suck at making coffee,” Piper said slowly. “Like, it’s a miracle you still have a job, you suck so bad.”

“I do not suck at making coffee!”

“Uh, yeah, you super do. Tell me, babe, when you’re actually working with any of the others, do you ever work at the coffee bar, or are you always doing pastries and stuff?”

Leo furrowed his brow and thought, but as he did, he felt horror crossing his features. He didn’t make drinks. Even when he was working during the day, everyone somehow managed to find a way to gently direct him towards anything other than drink making. He’d assumed it had been a gesture of kindness because of how much he hated the smell of coffee, but what if it wasn’t? What if they all hated his coffee as much as he hated theirs? But no, that couldn’t be true. He definitely made good coffee. He had a hot, blond regular to prove it. “Well, obviously someone likes it because I have a regular,” he said smugly. “This one dude keeps coming in specifically to get coffee from me. Percy texted me while I was out and said he came by during my usual shift twice and asked for me.”

“That doesn't mean you make good coffee,” Piper argued. “Which you don't, by the way.”

“Literally what else would he be coming to a coffee shop for?”

“You, duh,” Piper scoffed. “My ex-boyfriend was telling me the other day about this barista he has a crush on and he keeps showing up despite the shitty coffee. He actually asked me what the easiest drink to make is so he can maybe get something not awful for once.”

“Your ex-boyfriend is telling you about his crushes?” Leo scoffed, hiking up one eyebrow. “You two are freaks.”

“Ugh, I wish he’d tell me about them,” she groaned, flopping over the table and upending her tiddlywinks. “He won’t tell me hardly anything! All I know is that they’re a barista who sucks at their job. He thinks it’s awkward or whatever talking to me about it. Like, what’s that about?”

“Yeah, I mean, not wanting to talk to your ex about your current love life? That’s just silly,” Leo drawled. “Tell me, what was this guy’s name again?”

Piper gave him a withering look. “You don’t know my most recent ex-boyfriend’s name? Some best friend you are.”

“Piper, you dated the guy for, like, two weeks in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to convince yourself you’re not a lesbian – which I called, by the way – and then proceeded to be best buddies with him like the dating was some kind of shared fever dream,” Leo scoffed. “Like, I never even met the guy. Sorry if I don’t find that super memorable.”

“Boo, you whore,” Piper heckled, throwing little bits of popsicle at him. “By the way, what is the easiest drink to make? I never actually told him what to order next time, but I said I’d ask my barista friend. Though, considering that barista friend is you, maybe I’m setting him up for failure.”

Leo scowled at her. “Do you want my help or not?” Piper just shrugged casually, which Leo figured was the best he was gonna get. He considered her question. He thought back to when he was first learning the coffee bar, and more recently to when Annabeth had been walking Nico through his first days. “Well, the first drink anyone learns here is an iced chai latté,” he reasoned. “It’s pretty much impossible to screw up.”

“Yeah? How do you make it?”

“Chai concentrate, then milk, then ice,” Leo shrugged. “Like I said: You can’t really fuck it up.”

Piper hummed in thought, then narrowed her eyes at him. “Alright then. Make me one of those.”

Leo rolled his eyes, but shoved himself upright and got to work. As promised, iced chais were so easy, Leo could practically make them in his sleep, so soon he had a clear cup of cold, milky tea in his hand, which he sat down in front of Piper and spoke with the best Customer Service Voice he could muster. “One iced chai for the most annoying bitch in this café?”

“Ohmigosh, thank you!” Piper squealed, leaning hard into the Valley Girl kick in her voice. “You’re, like, the first barista to pronounce my name right!”

Leo snorted so hard it agitated the back of his still-tender throat, and Piper looked pleased to the point of smugness. She sipped her drink, and her eyebrows immediately flew into her hairline, and she looked at it with some weird mix of incredulous respect. “Well?” Leo demanded. “How is it?”

“It’s remarkably not-terrible,” Piper reported, taking another sip. “I’d go so far as to call it nice.”

“Careful, I’d hate for you to give me a big head with praise like that,” Leo said dryly. Piper just grinned at him from around her straw, so he rolled his eyes. “Well, there you go. You can tell your ex-boyfriend the secret key to ordering a drink that won’t make him completely sick to his stomach. Happy?”

“Very,” Piper chirped before taking another sip. “Now, help me set my game up again. I’m gonna teach you how to play tiddlywinks.”

*-*-*-*

When Leo finally saw Superman again, it was like getting hit upside the head with the baseball bat of déjà vu. He was, of course, sat at one of the tables, sequestered out of sight and completely focused on his homework, and didn’t hear the bell above the door. In fact, he didn’t even consider glancing up from his laptop until he heard that familiar voice call out, “Uh, is there anyone working here tonight?”

Leo was on his feet in an instant, a wide, beaming smile on his face as he bounded up to the counter. “Superman! I was wondering when you were gonna show up!”

Superman’s whole being perked up like a dog who just heard its owner say ‘walk’. “Leo! It's good to see you. You look like you’re feeling better.”

“Yeah. It was a sucky week, but I’m ready and raring to go,” Leo grinned at him. “How’ve you been? Percy told me you came by a few times while I was out. Did they make your drinks alright? Am I still your favorite barista?”

“He told you about that, huh?” Superman chuckled, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “And, yeah, the drinks he made were great. Nobody makes them… quite like you do, though.”

Leo puffed out his chest in pride. “Well, in that case, what can I get for you today?”

“Can I get a large iced chai latté?”

“Sure thing! You know, my friend and–” Leo froze in the middle of punching in the drink order and looked up at Superman, who was watching him with his usual look of easy affection. Suddenly everything made sense. “Oh, my gods, it’s you!”

Superman reared back in shock, and glanced around the store to see if Leo was maybe talking to someone else who had magically teleported inside. “Uh, yeah, it’s me?”

“You’re Piper’s Ex!”

Piper’s Ex looked even more baffled now. “I– Yes? I dated Piper McLean for, like, two weeks a few months ago. What does that have to do with anything, and more importantly, how did you know?”

“Dude, Piper’s, like, my best friend,” Leo huffed. “Why wouldn’t I know that?”

Piper’s Ex furrowed his brow for a moment before his eyes widened and he went pale in horror. “Wait, you’re that Leo?”

“Obviously! I know this city is big, but how many baristas named Leo do you think live here?”

“She never told me you were a barista!” Piper’s Ex defended. “I mean, at least not directly. Like, she mentioned that she had a friend who was a barista, and a friend named Leo, but she never said that they were the same friend.”

“I guess that’s fair,” Leo conceded with a pout. “Still can’t believe you never asked her about it though.”

Piper’s Ex rolled his eyes, then looked at Leo suspiciously. “Wait, so how did you know I dated Piper?”

“She and I were talking the other day about you, and she said you were looking for a really easy drink order because you have a crush on this barista who–” He cut himself off again and looked at Piper’s Ex with betrayal and offence. “Wait, you think my coffee’s shitty?”

Piper’s Ex’s face went pale again and then turned scarlet so fast Leo was actually a little concerned for the dude’s blood pressure. “I, uh. Never said that. To you.”

“Oh, well, then that means you’re having late night rendezvous with a different barista,” Leo accused, crossing his arms. “Do I look like a side piece to you?”

“No!”

“So, you do think my coffee’s shitty! It’s gotta be one or the other!”

Piper’s Ex put his hands together like he was praying, then pressed them to his lips for a moment as he thought over his options. “Okay, so, your coffee’s not exactly great–”

“This is the worst day of my life!” Leo declared loudly and dramatically. He had his elbows resting on the bar and his hands cupped around his eyes as he went through this mini identity crisis. “Dude! I do this for almost thirty hours a week! How do I still suck at it?”

“I mean, you’re not that bad,” Piper’s Ex said, desperately trying to salvage the situation. “Like, they haven’t fired you or anything.”

“That’s because they don’t let me make drinks when there’s actually customers in the store!” Leo let out another strangled noise and buried his face in his hands. “I’m gonna have to tell Piper she was right! I was using you as proof that I don’t suck, dude.”

“I’m sorry,” Piper’s Ex said, sounding genuinely sympathetic, likely because he knew first-hand how obnoxious Piper got when she was told that she’d been right all along.

Leo sighed, then cut his gaze back up to Piper’s Ex. He suddenly realized that no matter how embarrassed the other man had gotten – and it was very obvious he was very embarrassed – he hadn’t stopped giving Leo that same look of heart-stopping fondness that he always gave him, and Leo felt his ears start to go a little hot. “Um, why did– What made you come back all those times, then? Seeing as it apparently wasn’t my spectacular mixology skills.”

Piper’s  Ex dropped his chin just enough so that he was sheepishly looking at Leo through his eyelashes. “Well, it’s kind of embarrassing, but I sort of have a crush on the barista. I’m thinking I might have a shot, but I’ve been too shy to actually ask him on a date.”

“Wait.” Leo blinked at Piper’s Ex in complete shock. He was sure that his face was so flushed his skin tone was going to be permanently altered at this point. “You wanna go on a date? Like, an actual, real life date? With me?”

Piper’s Ex looked confused and even a little hurt at the question. “Um, yes? I kinda figured that’s where we’ve been going with this whole thing. Have I been super misreading this situation or something?”

“I, uh, no,” Leo squeaked. “I just– I figured you were just flirting with me for fun or something. I didn’t think you’d actually be interested in me.”

“Oh.” Piper’s Ex finally cut his gaze away, and Leo felt suddenly cold without the weight of those blue eyes on him. “I, uh, sorry, in that case.”

“Wait, no! You don’t have to be sorry!” Leo blurted, reaching out to grab Piper’s Ex’s hand. “Please, don’t be sorry. I didn’t want you to just be casually flirting with me or anything, I just assumed you were.”

Piper’s Ex squeezed Leo’s fingers and gave him an adorably shy smile. “Um, okay then. Would you, uh, maybe want to? Go on a date, I mean. With me.”

“Yes,” Leo said, nodding emphatically. “Uh-huh. Definitely. Sí. Yup. However you want me to say it. Just… yeah. I’d really like that.”

“Okay,” Piper’s Ex said, and he had the audacity to giggle like a schoolgirl, making Leo want to throw up over how cute this grown man was. “Uh, cool.”

Leo beamed at him, still flushed to the roots of his hair, but feeling like he might just float right on out of the café on his little cloud of bliss. “Alright, um, you go wait down there. I’ll make your drink.” Piper’s Ex started pulling out his wallet, but Leo held out a hand to stop him. “This one’s on me.”

Piper’s Ex gave him an eye-crinkling smile. “Alright, cool.”

He went to his usual spot to wait, and Leo went about making his drink, taking care to make sure that this was the single best iced chai latté anyone in the history of the world had ever made. He was sweating bullets when he pushed the drink across the counter. “Well, um. Here you go.”

Piper’s Ex took the drink, and furrowed his brows in slight disappointment. “You didn’t give me a nickname this time.”

Leo shook his head. “No, but I, um, I did  put my number on there. It’s just under the sleeve. If that’s okay.”

“Oh!” Piper’s Ex turned yet another shade of red, but he looked incredibly pleased. “That’s– Yeah, that’s okay. More than okay, actually.”

“Cool.” Leo glanced down at the drink in his hands and then up to blue eyes. “Well, tell me if you like the drink. And don’t just dance around the subject this time.”

Piper’s Ex nodded like he’d been given a solemn duty, and took a sip. When he did, his whole face brightened. “This is actually really good.”

“Yes!” Leo whooped, fist pumping to the sound of Piper’s Ex’s bright laughter. “I knew I could do it!”

Piper’s Ex smiled so fondly at him that Leo thought he was going to die. “I certainly know what I’m gonna get every time I come by from now on.”

Leo perked up. “So, you’re gonna keep coming by, then?”

“If you’re okay with it, I definitely plan to.”

“I’m definitely okay with it,” Leo grinned. “But also don’t forget to text me later, yeah?”

“Of course,” he promised. Then his blue eyes sparkled with amused mischief and Leo felt his heart fluttering in the back of his throat. “Oh, and, Leo?”

“Yeah?”

“My name’s Jason.”

[decafdino]

WIP Wednesday!

thanks to @emsprovisions @whatsintheboxmh @lemonlyman-dotcom and @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut for the tags! here's some more of my exchange fic for the tarlos haven countdown!

His mom reaches out and puts her hand over his. "Tell me what's bothering you."

Carlos looks down at their hands. It's hard, but he knows he should be as honest as possible with her. Otherwise, she won't stop pushing until she has the full truth out of him, and Carlos doesn't have the energy right now to deal with that.

"Work is bothering me," he says, choosing his words carefully. "Mostly just this one case—my first case, actually. I haven't solved it yet."

"Well, I would hope so." At his confused look, Andrea explains, "I expect to be throwing a party when my son solves his first case. It's a big deal."

He gives her a small smile. Partying is probably going to be the last thing he feels like doing once this is over. He predicts the only thing he'll be doing is locking himself in his bedroom, holding his husband in his arms until they both fall asleep. "The issue is I don't think this case is going to get solved. I have zero leads, and I'm running out of—" he catches himself, "the deadline to solve this thing is coming up soon."

"Hmm." Andrea thinks for a moment, popping another bite of food into her mouth. "You know, whenever your father was stumped by a case, I would always force him to take a break and be with his kids." She points at him with her fork. "That usually helped clear his head some."

Carlos frowns. He doesn't want to talk about his dad, or what he would do, because at the end of the day Gabriel Reyes is gone and Carlos Reyes is not. Besides, he's always been different than his father, something he is constantly reminded of whenever his mom talks about Gabriel.

"I don't see how that helps," Carlos says, with an excruciating amount of effort put in to keep his voice even, "seeing as I don't have any kids. Unless you think I should bounce ideas off of a lizard."

[bookishbrigitta]

Questions 3, 11, 15, 22, 25, 26 for Some Enchanted Life Day for the ask game!

Aww, thank you for asking! I love giving people the backstory on their gifts (IRL or fanfic)...

3) Explained here

11) What was the most challenge aspect of writing it?

For me, the hardest part was writing a version of Han and Leia who obvious care for each other but can't let the other one know. Up until now, I've mainly focused on writing them once their relationship is established, so this was a bit of a departure for me. It's also hard to convey a character being nervous or happy or excited when they themselves can't admit why they feel that way! It's really an exercise in "show, not tell."

15) Talk about the characters' struggles and how you decided them

I really loved your prompt "Han realizes he's in love with Leia," so the central struggle was to get him (both of them, really) to admit/realize it! On a more individual level, Leia is struggling with her grief because it's the first time since losing her parents that she's really witnessed a family unit in action. She's also dealing with the fact that they are Han's family, and she might want to be a part of it. Han is struggling with letting people in, with letting them see his family, especially Leia...because he might want her to be a part of it.

22) What is something you learned about yourself as a writer?

Having a sounding board is really helpful and getting something down (even if it's not perfect) so you have something to go back to and refine later is important. It's not novel advice, but I need to remind myself of it often.

25) Favorite line

I loved writing the dialogue for this in general, but I am most proud of Itchy's speech: "It’s like the morning sky, slowly getting brighter without you hardly even noticing it…And then the sun comes over the horizon and hits you in the face, and you think ‘How could I have been so clueless? How could I not have felt how every task seems easier, every breeze feels warmer?’ And suddenly you realize you want to feel this way forever because even though you cannot always see it, the sun belongs in the sky, and no world, no being can survive without it."

It is perhaps a bit dramatic, but it took me awhile to come up with a metaphor that felt fresh and relatable to both readers and to Han, and I ended up loving it.

26) Favorite detail

Though I only used that one Mulan quote loosely, I actually did lift a quote directly from a Disney movie. When the trio first arrives and Leia gets distracted (attracted? 😏) watching Han play with Lumpy, she thinks "Get a grip, girl," which I took straight from one of the songs I used to daydream about this fic: I Won't Say I'm In Love from the 1997 Hercules.

Ask game for Some Enchanted Life Day

[medusapelagia]

Dark Weeping Angel

written for @strangerthingswritersguild - Time for a joust for Devonia (@devondespresso) Rating: Mature Relationship: Steve & Eddie TW: dark fic, mention of injuries, blood and wounds, vampire Eddie Munson, ambiguous/open ending, Eddie Munson as Kas Prompt: Weeping Angel Word Count: 1572 AO3 link

A newborn first breath. 

That’s what Vecna is thinking about, while the dead body, covered in dirt and blood, gasps in front of him.

It’s not really a breath because the man that once was Eddie Munson is dead, but it resembles it. The body sits, too abruptly, spitting blood and mud and cleaning his mouth with his arm. It takes a moment for him to notice that he is not alone, and when he turns Vecna’s blue eyes are staring at him.

The boy tilts his head, like a curious cat. He is not worried or scared, just curious. He is wondering if Vecna is a friend or an enemy. Eddie‘s eyes are blurred, but they are pointed exactly where they should be.

“Good morning sleepy head,” Vecna says, getting closer, and offering his hand to the creature in front of him.

Eddie sniffs it a few times and licks Vecna’s palm, finding that he likes the man’s taste and that he is not a threat. 

“Can you get up?” Vecna asks, stepping back and looking at Eddie trying to stand up a few times and failing miserably until he notices that there is something on his back: a big pair of dark wings and a tail are testing his equilibrium. The boy stares at Vecna in confusion, but the man keeps smiling at him, like a proud parent, so Eddie tries again, and again until he finally manages to stand up.

The black membranous wings are so big that they touch the ground and his thick tail scratches against the rocks. Eddie whimpers in pain, looking at his body that’s so different from what used to be. 

“You should be grateful to me.” Vecna says getting closer, grabbing one of Eddie's wings and twisting it until the monster tries to free himself roaring, “You’re mine to play with. Never forget about it!” Vecna hisses before releasing the wing and Eddie wraps himself in his huge wings like he could hide from the man that‘s still staring at him. He tentatively touches his wings with his hands, discovering that new part of his body. He startles himself while his wings flex under his fingertips, as he slowly understands how to move them. 

“Are you ready to get back?”

Eddie tilts his head in confusion.

“Don’t you want to see your friends?”

Eddie makes a sound that’s definitely not a word but sounds like a question. 

“I’ll let you go back where you came from.” Vecna says, pointing at the destroyed white trailers just a few feet away, “Back home.”

Home is a word that Eddie doesn’t know, but he licks the air as if he could taste it.

Home is nice.

Home is good.

Home is edible. Maybe.

The ground trembles and once more Eddie falls on the ground with a whimper, trying to understand what he should do, but Vecna grabs him by his arm and helps him stand up.

“Home.” He insists, pointing at the trailer, “Go home.”

This time Eddie follows the order and wobbles toward the red rift on the ground, jumping through it. He tries to open his wings, but they are still too new, so he falls to the ground with a whimper. 

The trailer park is empty, the place looks abandoned and there are no cars in the parking lot. One part of Eddie's mind, the part that vaguely remembers that home is a good thing, knows that’s not normal, but neither is it having wings and a tail.

He starts walking through the woods, keeping his wings up even if the muscles of his shoulders ache, while his tail keeps moving from one side to the other.

It doesn’t take long before he sees a house. A pretty familiar one. A house that’s not home but that he visited enough times to know that there is a room with horrible wallpaper and a heated pool.

A pool sounds so nice.

Eddie walks towards the house and tastes the air with his tongue like a snake. Nothing. The house is empty. He sits near the pool, staring at his reflection, and when he reaches out with one hand toward the reflective surface he loses his equilibrium once more and falls head-first into the pool. The creature squirms, kicks, and howls, trying to escape from the deadly trap he fell into, too busy shrieking and screaming to notice the shift in the air. His cries for help cover the sound of a car getting closer, and in his panic, he doesn’t taste in the air the presence of another person.

A young man is holding a nailed bat in front of him. Somewhere in his broken memories, a voice whispers to him to take care, that the bat could hurt him, but the water is trying to drown him so the creature that once was Eddie Munson cries out of fear, and the boy with the bat steps closer.

Eddie’s hands have claws but they can’t get a grip on the water or else. His blurred eyes are wide with fear and then the boy with the bat does something stupid. Or brave. Eddie can’t really tell.

He strips off his clothes and jumps into the pool, swimming toward the screaming creature.

“Calm down! You need to calm down!” The familiar voice insists, but the monster keeps fighting the terrible water that’s trying to swallow him and drag him down where everything is cold and bad.

Somehow the boy manages to grab the monster, even if he keeps scratching his chest, and drags him towards the pool stairs.

Finding finally something he can use as leverage, the monster gets out of the pool as fast as he can, not caring about the whimpers behind him and pushing the boy underwater more than once without even noticing it.

When the boy reemerges, spitting dirty water, the creature is hiding behind a little house, pool house his mind supplies, still scared and unsure about what to do. 

“Eddie?” The boy calls, and the creature knows that he used to answer that name before, but it feels something so far away, like a childhood memory that he forgot but somehow is still lingering in his mind.

“Eddie?” The boy calls again, and the creature dares to peek from his hiding spot at the boy.

The boy is naked, apart from his boxers and his socks, and his chest is a bleeding mess: the creature’s claws tore the skin and cut muscles and fat.

Still, on his four legs, the creature gets closer, smelling the blood and feeling a terrible hunger.

How long has passed since he fed himself?

He jumps at the boy and the young man falls on the pavement hitting his head hard. He whimpers in pain, but Eddie's new limbs make sure that the boy can’t move when he starts to lap at his wounds.

The blood metallic taste fills his mouth and it’s the most divine thing he has ever tasted. 

Under him, the boy cries and screams but Eddie keeps sucking at the bloodied wounds.

Ambrosia.

That’s another word that comes to his mind, unlocked from the memory of the boy who was Eddie Munson.

“Eddie… Eddie, please stop! It’s me! Steve! I’m your friend! We helped you at the boat house. It’s me! Come on man! It’s Steve!” The boy yells while the monster is licking his teeth.

“Steve…” he murmurs and that’s the first word he has ever said.

He doesn't really know what a Steve is but he hopes that’s a good word, being the first he ever pronounced.

“Yeah! That’s me! I’m Steve!” The boy insists and in his eyes, there is hope for recognition “I’m Steve and you are Eddie! Right?”

The monster tilts his head, still straddling the boy.

“Eddie?” He asks again, but this time the boy doesn’t try to move.

Eddie is a familiar word but it means nothing to the creature that’s hovering over him, so he keeps scenting the air, tasting it on his tongue to be sure if the boy is a threat or not, and when he smells him, he smells like food.

The creature ducks his head, ready to continue his feasting, but something stops him.

Steve is a good word, the voice inside him tells him, too good to be eaten.

But there are other creatures out there, creatures named Jason, Andy, and many more, that they can devour without feeling guilty.

Steve is not on the list.

Steve is something they must protect, even from themselves.

It physically hurts removing himself from Steve’s body, an ache old and deep that has no words. The creature tastes the air with his long tongue and he tastes remorse, regret, and a pain he can’t explain.

It’s not physical, but it’s so strong that it makes his eyes water.

The creature that once was Eddie Munson gets up and stares at the boy. He has friends, the voice inside him reassures him, they’ll take care of him, so the monster steps back and turns toward the woods.

He knows that he is just a puppet, but if he still can, he will try to preserve what Steve is.

The creature turns one last time to stare at the boy, and for a moment he catches a glimpse of his reflection in the water: a dark weeping angel crying blood tears.

[stolen-pen-name23]

Now that I can share it, I participated in the @kenobi-gen-exchange!

My fic is a Jedi!Ventress AU featuring some padawan shenanigans between Obi-Wan and Asajj!

Read Kitchen Duty here!

[connisk]

preview: exchange fic.

הפתיחה. יש כל כך הרבה מעבר לזה, אבל זה הדבר היחיד שערוך עד עכשיו. אני מקווה. שההצצה הזאת מספיקה.

Sometimes, quiet places were some of the most dangerous areas one could be in. It was something that Thalia Grace, an active hunter, daughter of Zeus and lady Artemis lieutenant knew well. The birds did not sing in that territory, the wild animals were keeping to themselves, and no sentient or at least partly smart animal wished to be outside at those moments.

The reason for the unnatural quite made itself known fairly quickly. From inside the trees, a huge dark silhouette appeared, covering the leaves with its shadows and making tiny stones roll when it shook the ground beneath it. 

The loblolly pine trees around them were tall and full with leaves that hid the girls well from the monster’s poor eyesight. It was drawn to their place by their scent. It's great sense of smell replacing the monster's poor eyesight. They knew it was searching for them, following their smell from miles away. 

One of the duties they had as the hunters of Artemis was to capture and eliminate wild forces that were threatening the balance of nature.

Hungry power beasts that destroyed everything in their path included.

And currently, there were few creatures in the continent that had attracted the lady’s attention.

So they parted.

It was pretty simple. The lady had assigned every group their respective role. There was no point in hunting together all the wild monsters. Artemis led one group. Reyna was selected for the second. And Thalia was selected for the third. 

Despite searching them with its nose, the beast still hadn't noticed them in their hiding position.  

And as it searched the ground, a number of few very deadly, very poisoned and very sharp arrows were pointed at the beast. 

“Stay quiet.” Thalia said to the hunter that hid  in the leaves of the tree next to her. She held the bow strongly in her hands, One of her eyes was closed and she looked straight at the roaming boar who was now terrorizing the poor coat they had left on the ground as a trap.

“stay still… not yet…” Thalia held her hand firmly above her, letting the rest know that they have eyes on the target.

“Any moment… shoot!”

The single arrow that tore the air was almost invisible to the naked eye, as it shot in a curved line down. It hit the boar straight at the flash on his back like a bullet would pass through a rag and came out from the other side without harming the boar at all. What it did do was to catch the attention of the now disturbed boar who rose up from the coat it was trying to eat to look up at the hunters. 

They both looked at each other for a long moment, neither processing what had happened. Thalia came quickly to her senses and pulled down her hand with all the force she could master.

The hunters got the message and at the next moment dozens of arrows were shot at the wild animal from behind the trees who looked pretty undisturbed as if they were hitting him with feathers and not with deadly arrows. It all passed right through him without leaving any damage. Tiny holes appeared and closed mere seconds later on its skin.

The boar huffed for a moment in annoyance, lifted his head and Thalia barely had time to yell for retreat before it charged right at them. And it wasn’t a small harmless boar- no, it was a huge, almost Citroen Ami like in size beast, and it crashed loudly in one of the trees, making it shake. The poor hunter who was on that tree barely had time to retreat and to leap onto the next one before her original cracked.

The boar looked up and strongly oinked. It's face was smeared with blood and whatever was left from the poor body of the man it had killed. 

They were stuck. 

The beast went back to sniffing the ground and the few blood drops that were licked to the ground from the poor hunter that in her hurry to leave the tree got a cut on her arm from a stray branch. It wouldn’t distract it long though as the mammal quickly began to realize that the treat on the trees was looking much more appetizing. 

Thalia locked eyes with one of the older huntress who had joined her team and a mutual understanding passed between them as they climbed down the tree stopping at six fit above the boar. The older hunter took out a slick silver stiletto from under her coat. Thalia took out a black mace canister, and held it strong. 

“In there,” Thalia said and the old former princess, Iphgenia, raised her the handle in anticipation. They both prepared for the jump.

“Two,” Thalia closely followed the beast movements. Her mace canister extended and turned into a shiny bronze spear.

“One,” electric static popped out and wrapped around her spear. 

“Now!”  they jumped right at the beast, the wind hitting their face as they hit its sides with both of their weapons. It cut through its skin and Thalia retreated back along with Iphgenia in fear of the beast thrashing, carefully minding the boar and waiting for it to react.

But once again, nothing happened. The cuts were slowly closing, not leaving a single mark. But it did make it angry. And he did notice the girls now. The electric wave did not hurt it, but he did squealed like it tickled him. And at this point, the hunters on the ground were practically free for all food. So it roamed. Thalia jumped to the side, the beast just barely missing her as it continued running and collided with another tree that moved violently from the force, making the hunter on top of it hold for dear life. 

“What is wrong with this thing?!” Thalia wasn't sure if she referred to her spear or the boar. But there wasn’t much time for her to think as it turned around again and charged at her. She dodged once again to the side and as it passed her (it’s teeth getting too close for comfort to her arm) she raised her spear once again and tried to stab it’s skin in no avail. 

“Come on!” one of the huntresses on the ground called out for her. A few arrows were still shot towards the beast from the trees, but most of the other huntresses had already begun to move, jumping from the tops of one tree into others.

In its attempt to catch someone, the boar changed its direction and now it headed straight to Iphgenia, catching her off guard and sending her flying backwards and collapsing with the tree. She wheezed as it knocked the breath out of her lungs and fell, loose strands of dark hair falling on her face. 

Another hunter helped her be back on her feet and escaped as the boar crashed into the tree in full force. The tree’s more weak nature couldn’t stand it and fell from the force. 

“I’ll distract it! Run!” Thalia screamed for the others. She didn’t need to repeat herself twice, they were all down by this point running for escape. Some halted in a wish to help Thalia, but she reassured them with a nod that it was fine. 

She faced the boar once again and pulled out her hunting knive with a wild look in her eyes. It irked her so much. 

She jumped out of the monster’s way once again when it tried to knock her out like it had done to Iphgenia. With a quick slash, she tried to cut the skin as the boar passed her but once again, it barely had done anything. It repeated this way a few times. Eventually , she thought, she would start to slow down because humans, unlike monsters, indeed were weakened by stupid mortal stuff like tiredness.

Being immortal didn't change that. 

So she tried a new tactic. Aside from a few trees, most of their trunks weren't that strong. A risky plan formed in her head. It wasn't the smartest thing but it might as well work.

She jumped on the nearest tree and climbed as fast as she could, the thorns in her boots propelling her up faster, her hunting knives cutting into the tree's trunk, securing her from falling. 

The crash arrived mere seconds after she was out of reach. The boar crashed into the tree with all his mighty force and the tree squished for a minute before it began toppling down.

She jumped off the tree and rolled down, letting the boar catch out to her and then rolled out from the tree way, letting it crash on the boar. 

It wasn't much but it gave her the precious seconds she needed to escape. She ran without stopping, kicking sticks and shrubs and after a few minutes she saw the end of the forest and jumped out from a small cliff, landing on top of a yellow car. 

Aside from scaring one middle aged lady in their run, no one was there as they went far from the forest.

[wolfiemcwolferson]

Are y'all dead from content overload yet?

I hope not, because here is a 34k Galex fic for your enjoyment!

What do I know? show me the way to go. is about second chances, accepting people change, and allowing yourself to really have what you want.

I got to write for the ineffable Jo and had the time of my life.

Two complete playlists: The first goes with the fic. The second is one that Alex makes George in the fic...it is not for the faint of heart - I will not apologize.

I hope you enjoy this one! I had the best time writing it!

[formlessvoidbeast]

Maybell's memory of the shipwreck was as fractured as the ship was. Pain, everywhere. The feeling of motion, swift through the water. Breathing and drowning and breathing again. Then, gentle. Stillness as she was placed on something soft. Sharp claws against her skin, but not digging in or scraping. Hands, large and cold, touching everywhere, petting. Bandages wrapped around her wounds. Maybell's head throbbed—worse when she opened her eyes, vision blurry—so she caught only glimpses of a ghostly face; of a woman, naked, her pale breasts pendulous.

summer idyll 2,700 words

I participated in the Monster Smash exchange and got to write some very fun Lesbian Merfolk Porn to add to my Consensual Monster Porn series!.

Enjoy!

[shetiger]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Magnificent Seven (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Chris Larabee/Ezra Standish Characters: Chris Larabee, Ezra Standish Additional Tags: Werewolf AU, Injury, Werewolf Mates, Dealing with serious injury, character thinks they're dying, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chris works through some shit Summary:

When Chris is shot and dying, he takes the option Ezra offers him.

He's just not so sure he's happy with the changes the choice brings.

[heavenhellandhumanity]

KongArt Exchange for SOTUS 8th Anniversary! Really had a good time writing this, it was fun to get back into KongArt fic again.

[dcxdpdabbles]

Damian: This is bad

Jon: What is it?

Damian: I'm pretty sure the guy in the other soccer team was threatening me, but I didn't hear it because I was too busy staring at his thighs.

Jon: .....We're in different time zones, you know that? It's three in the morning for me here. When you call me at this time, it's ussually a emergency not a gossip session. I'm tried Damian, and I have class in the morning. I can't be a good exchange student if I'm falling asleep in class.

Damian: So? All my best work is at three am. Do better.

Jon: *sigh* Okay so the other guy is hot. What's his name?

Damian: Daniel Fenton. He's a foward. He's so attractive, I forget the human language when he speaks and only hear "Blah blah blah " but in a dreamy sigh kind of blah.

Jon: Uh-huh. And why was he threatening you?

Damian: I have no idea, I was too busy watching his lips move, and his thighs flexed as he stretched.

Jon: Right. Well, I'm sure once the soccer tournament is over you won't have to see him every again-

Damian: I think I asked his mother for his hand in marriage yesterday. I can't remember.

Jon: *Sigh* Of course you did.

[decafdino]

wednesday vibes! thanks to @emsprovisions @whatsintheboxmh and @lemonlyman-dotcom for the tags! I don't want to give too much away since everything I've written is super spoilery, so have some intentionally vague snippet from the exchange fic.

"What's weird?" he and Paul ask at the same time.

"Well, his employment records show several transfers within months of each other. He seems to hop around from place to place." She keeps typing. "He came to Austin from Denton. Before that, it was San Antonio, then Lubbock, El Paso, then—"

"Waco, Fort Worth, Midland?" Carlos finishes. He feels himself go pale as Lexi nods. "That's the exact order of where they found the victims." Holy shit. Holy shit. "That's the killer. It has to be."

"Wait, hold on." Paul looks between the two of them. "How the hell is he transferring so quickly?"

Lexi hums. "There are several letters of recommendation on his file, too. It looks like someone was pulling some strings for this guy." They watch her click on something, and then a pdf opens on her laptop. Lexi begins skimming it. "To who it may concern…blah, blah, blah…cordially yours, [redacted]."

If he wasn't currently sitting down, Carlos would have sunk to his knees in utter defeat. "Oh, God," he says, "oh, God, what have I done?"

[medusapelagia]

Stranger Things Exchange Fic

Still editing and almost ready to post my second Steddie Exchange Fic!!! I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to share it!!!