#I figured he leaned back but the upside down kept making me over think

[synthshenanigans]

I guess we know how he got that shot now

I am finally free

[luffington]

young master ♡

➤ summary: You don't worship the ground Doflamingo walks on, and it turns him on a little too much. (18+)

➤ pairing: doflamingo x afab!reader

➤ word count: 3.7k

➤ warnings: kinda sub!doflamingo (he’s a horny menace), mild dubcon, possessive doffy, spit kink, oral (f receiving), masturbation (m receiving), degradation, name-calling

➤ notes: this takes place before dressrosa but i’m only halfway done with the arc so sorry for any inaccuracies! i haven't posted my writing online in years so please lmk what you think :3

NSFW under the break! minors dni thank uuu

Doflamingo was sulking. His signature smile was comically turned upside down and his arms were crossed over his chest. Feet resting on top of his desk as he leaned back in his plush office chair, crumpling the important documents strewn underneath them that he was meant to review and sign. He knew he probably looked like a petulant child, and he felt like one, too. This was all your fucking fault.

Even though you were only in your twenties, you were already a well-known Vice Admiral. Vergo had informed Doflamingo of your impressive Haki abilities months ago, but that wasn’t the only reason he kept a close eye on you. You were sexy as hell, even in a Marines uniform, and he delighted in every brief interaction he had with you at Warlord meetings. When you decided to take some time off, he snatched you up immediately with a tantalizing job offer. After all, working for him was technically still a Government job, and he was helping so many countries in need!

You made it clear from the very beginning that this was a temporary gig and you had no intention of permanently joining the Donquixote Family. You were his business partner, not his subordinate. He never planned on honoring that agreement, of course, but you were making his plans particularly difficult. 

The man had hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of loyal and passive subjects. Obedient workers who never questioned his judgment and praised his iron fist, from the filthy commoners at the bottom to the Elite Officers up top. But not you. 

You had the kind of effortless confidence that got under his skin. You were unbothered and detached from his evil antics, from him. He made his presence known everywhere he went and was always the focus of the room, but it seemed like you paid more attention to the damn servants than him. His threats and intimidation which made thousands tremble in fear hardly made you flinch. When he revealed the secret of Dressrosa’s toys in hopes of getting a reaction from you, you practically yawned. 

You knew who he was. You knew what he was capable of. You didn’t fucking care.

You weren’t afraid of him, and this greatly disturbed him.

A few days ago, you had strolled into his office without even knocking on the door. He furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance, but you barely took notice. You were there to discuss your agreement in order to figure out a time frame of how long he needed you. He threw his head back and laughed loudly as he said, “That’s adorable. You really think you can get away from me, hm?”

Perceptive as always, you noticed the slightest twitch of his middle finger and immediately held an Armament Haki-coated hand in front of your chest, blocking the nearly invisible string flung your way. “Doffy, I’m being serious.”

He frowned and narrowed his eyes. Diamante used that nickname once in front of you and now you wouldn’t call him anything else. You thought it was cute. “Since when can you block my strings?”

“Do you really think I’d be a Vice Admiral if I couldn’t do that? You were so obvious about it, too.” You clicked your tongue, knowing full well that anyone less powerful than you wouldn’t be able to perceive his movement. Prominent veins popped in Doflamingo’s forehead but the blonde man stayed silent. “I think I’ll stay here for a few more months, at least. Maybe longer if I don’t have a terrible time here. Dressrosa is kind of growing on me.” 

“You’re acting like I can’t keep you here by force.” Doflamingo interrupted your train of thought. “I could have Sugar turn you into a cute little doll, and then your Vice Admiral position would disappear. Or Giolla could turn you into a painting to hang on my wall.” He paused as if considering his options, knowing full well what he truly wanted. “Maybe I’ll keep you tied up with strings as my own personal pet.”

Many times he’d pictured you tied to the headboard of his bed, stripped naked and covered in his drying cum as he used you however he wanted. Perhaps then he’d finally ignite a spark of fear in you. 

“If you actually wanted to do that, it would’ve happened already. But you’re the one who hired me, remember?” You acted like you were explaining something obvious to a kid. “If you try anything against me, I can always call up the Navy and tell them what you’re doing to your poor innocent citizens. Maybe even let them know your alias? Begins with a J, right?”

“You wouldn’t dare.” He snarled, sitting up in his seat immediately and binding strings around your wrists to keep them pinned above your head. You kept your eyes trained on his, a determined and almost taunting glint in them. 

“I’m not a big fan of blackmail, so I don’t want to do that,” you replied in an even tone. “I’m just saying that I can. Now, are we gonna talk business, or are you gonna play cat’s cradle all day?”

Doflamingo should’ve killed you right then and there. That would’ve put an end to his confusing thoughts about you, but your conversation only made them worse. You were on his mind constantly, to the point where he couldn’t focus on anything else. It was an obsession, an infatuation, one completely unbecoming of a heavenly being like himself. People were meant to grovel at his feet and kiss the very ground he walked on – why the fuck were you not affected?

He finally had enough. He pushed the chair away from his desk and stormed out of his office. Servants hurried away in fear, knowing that his scowl and heavy footsteps meant nothing but trouble. A whirlwind of thoughts swirled around his mind — he wanted to make you scream, to completely immobilize you with his power, to kiss you so hard you saw stars. No, that wasn’t it. 

He wanted you to call him ‘Young Master’. 

Doflamingo threw open the double doors to a secluded drawing room in his typical dramatic flair. You were alone, reclining on a couch and reading a book. Even this pissed him off – you were in a potential viper’s nest, surrounded by powerful people who could turn on you at any point, yet you didn’t feel the need to keep others around you for protection. You turned your head towards the intruder in confusion. His massive body filled the door frame and light from the hallway illuminated him and his feathery coat from behind, making him look like a fallen angel.

“What Devil Fruit did you eat.” It was a statement, not a question. His voice was a dangerously low growl. 

“I already told you, I didn’t eat one.” You said slowly, slightly thrown off by his demeanor but still not afraid. 

“You lying bitch!” He roared, using his strings to slam the doors behind him as he crossed the room towards you in three giant steps. “You must have some kind of mind control ability, or manipulation, or… I don’t fucking know! Tell me what’s happening!” He threw his head in his hands and crouched over, almost as if he was in pain. “Why can’t I stop fucking thinking about you!”

Your mouth opened slightly and you blinked a few times to process the situation, and then it hit you. A sly grin slowly formed on your face as you dog-eared your book and set it down next to you. You knew this man was incapable of love in its purest sense, but maybe… “Doffy, have you never been attracted to someone before?”

His head shot up and he narrowed his eyes at you furiously behind his sunglasses. Of course he’d fucking been attracted to people – he refused to settle for nothing but the best with his lovers. He had fucked enough sexy men and women over the years to form a small army. But none of them were like you. 

They were all cheaply made toys, suitable for one or two uses then tossed in the trash when they broke or when he got bored. He was a greedy and spoiled child who always got what he wanted. But with you… it felt like he was staring through the front window of a shop at a shiny new toy. So close and so enticing but completely out of reach.

“Fuck you! I… I…” You would never know how that sentence was supposed to end, because he sunk to his knees and hung his head in frustrated shame. He slammed his fist against the floor hard enough to rattle the room. “Why won’t you belong to me?!”

The almighty King of Dressrosa, the feared Warlord, the powerful underground broker, was on his knees begging for you. He knew he sounded pathetic. He felt pathetic. But he couldn’t go a moment longer without getting what he wanted, what was rightfully his. 

To say you were shocked was an understatement. You had always stood your ground because you knew your worth, but sometimes you did it to purposely push the blonde man’s buttons since no one else seemed to have the courage to do so. But you were just teasing him – this was not the outcome you had in mind. 

You slowly stood from the couch to move in front of him. Even bent over, the massive man was practically your height, but he had never seemed smaller.

“Doffy,” you began in a quiet voice and reached out to gently touch his feather-clad shoulder, but he slammed the ground again. 

“I don’t need you to patronize me! I need…” he trailed off again and hesitated for a moment before realizing what he needed to do to calm the fire roaring inside him. Fine, he would give you a fucking reason to worship him. He threw himself at your midsection, making you yelp in surprise. He had finally drawn a reaction out of you, and it spurred him on even more. Rough hands yanked your shirt up to your breasts and he hungrily mouthed at the soft skin of your tummy, a frenzied mess of tongue and teeth and soft lips. “I need you. Give yourself to me.” He said breathlessly, punctuating his words with a sharp bite at your hip. 

You were frozen in place but weak in the knees, unable to do anything but accept his bites and bruises. You’d be lying if you said you’d never imagined what his long tongue and nimble fingers felt like on your body, in your body. He nipped at your skin hard enough to bruise then soothed it with his tongue, sending heat straight to your core. 

Doflamingo was in a drugged-like haze, mind clouded with a dizzying mix of lust and hatred and longing. He belatedly noticed that you weren’t resisting him when he popped the button on your jeans. When he looked up, he realized your cheeks were flushed and your gaze was trained on his long fingers dancing along the waistband of your pants. 

He smiled wickedly, feeling a sliver of regained control. “You fucking whore. You want this, don’t you?”

“Doffy, you’re the one literally trying to get in my pants.”

“Shut up.” He snarled, annoyed yet allured by your sweet giggle afterwards. He yanked your jeans down to your ankles to reveal pretty pink lace panties underneath. They practically matched the color of his coat – you had to have worn those just for him. Might as well take them later. 

A needy and unashamed whine tore from his lips when he saw your pussy. Even more perfect than he’d imagined all those times he fucked his fist alone in bed. He told himself this was what was necessary to crush that annoying ego of yours, knowing full well he was nearly shaking with pure carnal desire. He grabbed your hips hard enough to bruise and shoved your thighs apart before diving in. His tongue was ravenous, licking a sloppy stripe from your ass to your clit, mouth closing around the nub and sucking harshly. The sweetest moan he’d ever heard fell from your lips and he echoed it, eager to hear more. 

Fingers tangled in his short blonde hair as you tried to steady yourself. It was too much all at once. You tried to tug him away to tell him to slow down, yet wanted to pull him even closer. Doflamingo flinched at the contact. Part of him wanted to tie your hands behind your back because how dare you touch him without permission. But instead, he groaned at the rough pull on his scalp, which went straight to his hardening cock. His grip on you tightened as he dragged you further onto his face.

His long tongue lapped messily at your folds then slipped into your cunt, shallowly thrusting the wet tip in and out. He laughed in delight at your delicious juices coating his tastebuds and making his head spin.

“You’re so fucking wet.” He panted and rubbed his nose against your clit, making you jump. A sloppy string of his saliva still connected his mouth to your entrance. “I think you like me after all.”

“I’d like anyone who eats me out this good,” you quipped.

“But no one’s as good as me, hm?” To prove his point, he shoved the entirety of his skilled tongue deep inside you. You threw your head back and whined as the wet muscle curled and twisted inside you, hungrily lapping at your sensitive inner walls. “No one will ever be as good as me. Say you’re mine and you can have this every day.”

“F-fuck, Doffy… so, mmh, good…” He ate you out like a man starved, desperately sucking at every part of your pussy he could reach. One hand moved from your hip, leaving dark blue fingerprint-shaped bruises behind, and plunged into his own pants. He let out a deep groan at the contact.

“Call me Young Master.” Doflamingo breathed heavily as he pulled his pants down slightly. Your jaw dropped when he revealed his massive and fully erect dick, leaking beads of precum and bobbing against his stomach. You knew he’d be big based on his height, but this was inhuman. The blonde man noticed your hungry gaze and chuckled. “You want me so badly. Stop denying the truth and I’ll give you everything you want. I am a benevolent king, after all.”

You actually laughed at that, and he didn’t even try to be angry – being on full display for you meant he couldn’t hide the way your disobedience made his cock twitch. His other hand slithered between your legs and rubbed at your folds and the smile fell off your face.

You stumbled backwards – there was nothing behind you to lean on and your legs were quickly turning into jelly. “W-wait, Doffy, I can’t, ahh, l-let me sit…”

Two of his fingers moved downwards and bound your feet to the floor with his string. Immobilizing your bottom half like a statue but intentionally leaving your top half free to grab at his hair and body as you pleased. “Your king will grant you permission to move when I want to.” 

“S’okay, I l-like seeing you look up to me for once.” Your witty reply was lost on the blonde, who had spread your folds apart and was hypnotized by your entrance clenching around nothing. You were so fucking tiny compared to him and he ached at the thought of molding your insides to take him and him alone.

Just one thick finger was enough to make you moan and pant, slowly pushing its way inside your cunt. “Shit, you’re so tight.” The soft squelches of your inner walls rang in his ears and pretty pearls of precum leaked from his dick. “Perfect fucking pussy. Give it to me.”

A second digit was soon added, scissoring you apart expertly. Unsurprisingly, the man really knew how to use his fingers. He crooked them and brushed against your most sensitive spot, causing you to cry out and hold onto him even harder. Sharp teeth playfully bit at your inner thigh in response. Doflamingo gathered some of the constant dribble of precum from the tip of his cock to lube his rough palm. He considered making you spit on his hand to ease the glide, but a better idea came to mind.

“Spit in my mouth.” He ordered, tilting his head up and sticking his tongue out. Waiting for you to follow his command like a good toy.

You were taken aback by the sudden request, but you gathered a ball of spit in your mouth like you were told… and it landed directly on the lens of his sunglasses, obscuring the vision of one eye. Doflamingo knew that it wasn’t just badly aimed. This was an act of defiance. You intentionally spit on his defining accessory, his very essence.

“You stupid slut.” The venomous insult came with a maniacally pleased grin. He pushed the stained glasses onto his forehead and you finally saw his eyes for the first time. Gorgeous and bright blue with lust-blown pupils. Looking at his beautifully depraved expression in its entirety, you briefly wondered if he really was an angel. His fingers sped up to a nearly brutal pace and he slipped in a third digit, causing you to choke on your spit. “Love me. Love me.”

A divine being who fell from heaven to beg at your feet. 

“Y-you’re fucking insane,” you panted with a blissful smile, your cunt clenching down deliciously on him. “Make up your, mmh, mind.”

“Adore me.” He responded immediately. “Say you’re mine. Be mine.”

Even though you refused to respond, the blonde was lost in his fantasies yet grounded in the reality of your beautiful face scrunched up in pleasure. Mouth hanging open, hands nearly going numb from how hard you held onto him. He needed to see you like this every day – no, every hour. He could keep you under his desk like a pet, ready to suck his dick whenever he allowed you to. Or maybe you’d sit in his lap all day, one of his hands fondling your tits as he attended meetings and forced his subordinates to watch him play with his favorite toy. 

But that was too mundane. He could snatch up anyone in Dressrosa right now and do the same. No, the twisted fantasy that really made his cock ache was already happening. That annoyingly sexy confidence of yours was threatening his godliness. 

Maybe he’d make you step on him next time.

“Call me Young Master,” he begged again, too far gone to realize how ridiculous he sounded. Tongue hanging out like a dog (and panting like one, too), he rutted into his hand even faster. His cock was absolutely throbbing, red and angry and dripping precum. He was in no position to be giving orders. You stifled a giggle with your hand, which quickly turned into a moan as his fingers bumped against your cervix. 

“I already t-told you,” you sucked in a few shaky breaths. He was watching you intently and still smiling, but his fingers never slowed down. “You’re not my –mm– Master, I don’t, ahh, work for you…”

“But why not?” He whined again. “At least call me it when you cum. I’ll fucking kill you if you don’t.” 

You didn’t acknowledge the ridiculously empty threat, instead throwing your head back when his fingers crooked against your most sensitive spot. Slick was dribbling down your legs – Doflamingo licked it off of your thighs before slurping around his digits buried inside you. The blonde echoed your unashamedly loud moans, practically on the edge himself. He only needed one thing to send him into a rapturous white bliss. 

He stared up at you unblinkingly, face frozen in a grin as he took in all the telltale signs of your approaching orgasm. Sweat dribbled down your forehead, eyebrows furrowed together, body tense and breath hot. “I-I’m gonna… gonna…” He crooked his fingers inside you the way he’d done thousands of times to turn people into obedient little puppets.

“Doffy~!” Your face contorted into the most divine expression he’d ever seen, crying out his name like a desperate prayer. 

You ignored his order. You used that stupid fucking nickname. 

He came hard. 

The tight coil that had been building in his groin for days at the mere thought of you finally snapped. An animalistic moan left his lips as thick ropes of cum coated his hand and spilled onto his abdomen. He looked even more blissed out than you, panting hard and shuddering and nearly overstimulating himself with the hand on his cock still slowly moving up and down. 

Doflamingo finally removed his fingers from inside you and loudly sucked them clean of your essence. Still craning his neck upwards so he wouldn’t break eye contact with you. You could lose yourself inside that piercing gaze, so full of obsession and hunger, especially when it was coming from a position of worship rather than condescension. 

Blinking out of your stupor, you realized the blonde’s cum-coated hand was in front of your mouth. If you were anyone else, he would’ve shoved his fingers all the way to your throat and made you choke on it. Instead, he stayed still and kept quiet. This was an offering. 

You grabbed his wrist and kitten-licked his sticky palm twice, humming thoughtfully as if appraising the taste. His grin grew even wider. Then you pulled away and teasingly said, “You take care of the rest of it.”

Doflamingo simply giggled in delight — you’d willingly tasted the essence of a god, one that was soon to be your god, but you were still too stubborn to give in. He didn’t expect you to crumble so easily and he didn’t want you to. He was having way too much fun. The blonde smeared the rest of his cum on the crotch of the pink panties still pooled around your ankles. 

“That’s disgusting.” You huffed in annoyance and rolled your eyes. “What am I supposed to wear out of here?”

The man chuckled lowly and rose to his feet, suddenly towering above you at full height. He wiped the dried spit off of his sunglasses before returning them to their rightful place on the bridge of his nose. 

“Who said anything about leaving?” You paled at the sight of his devilish grin but felt your core clench in need. “You still haven’t called me by my proper title.”

[ladykailitha]

The Eddie Munson Guide for Dating an Oblivious Jock Part 3

Sorry this is taking me longer than normal, I’ve had major cramps the last three days that have knocked me for a six.

Part 1 Part 2

*

Step Five: Flirting

“Shouldn’t you be doing that the whole time?” Max asked.

Eddie shook his head. “Not really. With the low self-esteem they’ll only get flustered and angry. And that’s the last thing you want. It’s why flirting with Steve in the Upside Down didn’t work. He was only confused and upset.”

Max nodded. “So how do you flirt?”

Flirting is an art that can be hard to learn because was works on one person might not work on the next. Pet names are a good place to start, compliments are always a win, but with that you have to be careful not to compliment something they’re insecure on.

“What do you mean?” Max asked.

“Say they think they’ve put on weight,” Eddie explained. “And you compliment their figure, depending on the person, their mood or who they’re around they might take offense to it.”

“So complimenting their looks is a no-no?” she asked.

Eddie shook his head. “Stick to things they can choose,” he said. “Like a new shirt that looks good on them, if they’ve gotten a new hair cut. Their shoes.”

She nodded. “I can work with that.”

Eddie walked into Family Video and stopped short. Steve was wearing a tight grey Henley and his hair was shorter on the sides then he usually kept it.

“Looking fine today, pretty boy,” Eddie said flouncing up to the counter where Steve was putting together member card applications for Keith to review later.

Steve blushed, running his hands nervously through his hair. “You think it looks okay?”

Eddie reached over and tugged a lock so that draped in front of Steve’s face dramatically. “You are totally rocking it.”

He straightened up. “Me and Will went to the barber yesterday because he wanted to try something new and well...”

Eddie softened. “And you didn’t want him to feel nervous about it so you got your hair cut, too.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re a good dude, Stevie,” Eddie said, wrapping his finger around the loose lock of hair.

Steve blush deepened and reached his ears. “You’ve never called me ‘Stevie’ before.”

“You like it?” Eddie asked, leaning further into his space.

Steve nodded. “It sounds sweet coming from you.”

“Holy hell!” Max exclaimed. “He’s totally had the hots for you.”

Eddie smiled at the memory. “Yeah, but he didn’t know it at the time. He had just realized he liked boys, too. It was still too new for him.”

“Must have been scary, too,” Max agreed.

In addition to compliments and pet names, once you’ve figured out what they like add a little touch to your flirting. Nothing overt. Don’t be grabbing his ass right off the bat. Save that for when you’ve finally bagged your jock and are dating them.

They were watching Thirteen Ghosts at Eddie’s and were sitting next to each other on the sofa.

“The special effects are a little goofy on this one,” Steve said. “It makes it hard to be scary.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed, leaning into his space. “But the story is good and you can see why it might have scared audiences at the time.”

Steve chuckled. “I guess.”

Eddie patted his knee. “I’m going to grab another beer, you want one?”

Steve smiled at him. “Sure.”

Eddie used his knee to stand up and he could feel Steve’s eyes follow him. He came back with two bottles and popped both their caps with his rings on his left hand.

Steve huffed out a laugh. “Handy that.”

Eddie grinned. “Says the man who’s strong enough to pop the caps without any aid.” He handed the bottle to him.

Steve blushed and took a sip. “Brawn over brain I guess.”

Eddie bumped his shoulder into Steve’s. “Hey, now. I thought we were past that bullshit talk of you not being smart.”

Steve ducked his head. “I know, I know. Interest not intelligence. But some times it’s hard when people still in high school are light years ahead of you.”

Eddie paused the movie and grabbed Steve’s hand. “Hey, sweetheart.” Steve looked up. “I get it. You’re talking to Mr Three-Time Super Senior here. But no one dogs on my intelligence.”

Steve frowned. “I never thought of that. I guess it is weird that it’s only me.”

“It’s why I’ve been training them out of it,” he said seriously. “It’s not fair that literally no one else gets that kind of treatment. Not even Argyle and Jon get called dumb.”

“Huh,” Steve said. “Yeah. Okay. I’m going to start calling them out on it, too.”

“You do that, babe,” Eddie said.

Steve’s smile was incandescent. “Thanks, Eds. You’re the best.”

“Only for you, Stevie.” Eddie murmured. “Only for you.”

“That was a lot of touching,” Max said. “Does it have to be that much?”

Eddie shook his head. “Just do feels natural. I like touching Steve arm when we greet each other and then giving it a squeeze. It signals I’m happy to see him without everyone else cottoning on to the fact I’m flirting.”

Max nodded. “What about hugs?” she asked.

“That’s the next step,” he said. “You’ve got to start small and build up to those kind of touches. Because the light touches are flirting. The bigger ones? That’s signaling intent.”

Step Six: Touch

Now that you’ve been flirting with your jock and initiating touches, they should be comfortable with the idea of touching and receiving your touch. So start to go a little bigger. Lingering touches, pressing on their lower back when you both walk to the door. Holding on to their hips as you squeeze past them in the kitchen. And of course the ultimate touch hugs.

“Wouldn’t the ultimate touch be sex?” Max asked.

Eddie blinked. “Says the girl that thought cuddling was gross.”

She blushed. “I mean, it’s all gross right now, but we are going to get to that point sometime in the future, right?”

He shrugged. “I guess. Everyone goes into sex at their own speed. Some never have sex or even want to. It’s whatever works for you.” She frowned, frustrated. “Look, sex is great. But trust me when I say rushing into it is a bad plan. Also doing it outside a committed relationship is fine, lots of people enjoy that. But sex with a partner is...for me anyway, better. You get time to explore your likes with theirs and meeting in the middle. But like I said it varies from person to person.”

Max sighed. It wasn’t the cut and dried answer she was looking for, but then again, nothing in life ever was.

“So hugging?”

“Yeah, hugging.”

Eddie showed up early for D&D like he always did, but instead of grabbing Steve’s arm like he had before, he hugged him. He expected it to be a quick thing, you know. Since he had surprised him and all.

It wasn’t.

The second Eddie went in for the hug, Steve’s arms were wrapped around him and pulling him in tight. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Steve took a step back, mumbling an apology.

Eddie gripped Steve’s arms and leaned back so he could try and see his expression. It was closed off and guarded.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he cooed. “You okay?”

Steve nodded. “I guess I needed a hug more than I thought.”

Eddie frowned at that. Steve was always giving hugs to Robin and the kids. Hell even the other adults got Stevie hugs, Jonathan, Argyle, and Nancy.

Oh.

Oh.

“You know you can hug me anytime you need it, don’t you, Stevie?” he murmured running his hands up and down Steve’s arm.

Steve looked up at him with such awe and wonder, that it made Eddie’s heart ache.

Steve surprised him a second time by immediately launching himself into Eddie’s arms for another hug.

Eddie let his hands wander. One cupped the back of Steve’s head, while the other slid down to the small of his back. He buried his head into the crook of Steve’s neck.

“Hey,” he whispered. “I can cancel D&D if you’re not up to hosting. Or even move it elsewhere.”

Steve let out a whine at the latter suggestion. “No, no. I want you here.”

“What the fuck?” Max practically roared. “Was he okay?”

“It came as a shock to me, too,” Eddie admitted. “I talked to him about it later and he told me that he wasn’t if he was allowed to hug me because of me being gay.”

“That makes no sense,” she said firmly.

“He didn’t know what the line was,” Eddie explained. “Because with girls you only hugged them if you were dating or really good friends. Argyle is a natural hugger and initiated the first hug so he knew that okay. Nancy and Jonathan were already at that level of affection.”

“But he didn’t know how to initiate it with you?” Max asked, a slow understanding dawning on her face.

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “Once I hugged him, it was like a levy breaking. He amped up the affection to eleven.”

“Okay,” Eddie said. “I’ll be here.”

Once everything was set up and everyone had arrived, Eddie called them over. “Steve isn’t feeling good today, so we are going to be respectful little shits and try and keep the noise down to a dull roar, is that understood?”

Everyone nodded.

“Good.” He turned to Steve. “If you need anything let me know, otherwise you just rest, okay?”

And without asking if they were in combat they all took turns checking in on Steve, most of them found him asleep, passed out on the sofa. But when Mike peeked in, Steve was sitting up, but he his arms wrapped around his knees and staring off into space.

He immediately ran for Eddie. Eddie stood up and quietly walked to the front room. He knelt on the floor in front of Steve and began rubbing his calves. After a moment, Steve came out of his trance.

“There you are, sweetheart,” he murmured.

“Oh, are you guys done?” Steve asked, moving back so that he could place his feet on either side of Eddie.

“Just taking a break,” Eddie said with a shake of his head.

“Oh,” he said again. “Do you guys need anything? Snacks, drinks, lunch? I could make sandwiches.”

“We’re good, Stevie,” Eddie asked, his hands now on Steve’s knees. “I’m a little worried about you, though.”

Steve ducked his head. “It’s nice having people here. It’s nice having you here.”

“We could move our monster fest night over here if you’d prefer that?” Eddie asked.

Steve shook his head vigorously. “I like going over to your place. It’s homey.”

“Homey, huh?” Eddie teased gently.

“Warm, comforting...safe.”

Eddie surged up and grabbed Steve, pulling him into a hug. “Then you’re always welcome.”

Steve sighed into his embrace. “Sorry I’m so needy today.”

Eddie leaned back and cupped his cheek. “I want you to need me, Stevie. So if you get like this. Call, come over, send out of the cavalry to find me. I don’t care, just let me in.”

Steve nodded. “I promise.”

Eddie stood up. “I’ve got to get back. Why don’t you join us? Not in the campaign, just pull up a chair and watch.”

Steve’s face grew the most beautiful and heartfelt smile it cracked something in Eddie’s chest wide open.

He knew that he would never love someone as much he loved Steve. And with any luck (and with every indication) Steve felt the same.

“You know, all I’m hearing with this one is holy hell Steve needs all the hugs in the world,” Max cursed.

Eddie laughed. “Something like that. I think we forget, even you and I whose families and home life have been shit, that’s Steve’s was, too. An abusive and toxic father and a distant and neglectful mother. Even if he never hit Steve, emotional abuse is still abuse.”  

“I think I’m going to tell the rest of the party to start initiating hugs with Steve more often,” she said. “I think we forgot somewhere along the line that he’s been through the same hell we’ve been through only a way more active a participant.”

Eddie laughed. “I think he’d like that. A lot.”

Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @this-is-mycrisis @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @thedragonsaunt @chaoticlovingdreamer @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @artiststarme @steddie-there @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @thebrazilianatheist @rozzieroos @whalesharksart @mightbeasleep @theotalksalot @avacrebs @sassysleeplord @exhibit-no-restraint

[distortionenby]

"You know I love you, right?" For gentle prompts :)

(full under the cut) GerryMichael and DoorKeay in the same fic? Been a while! Thank you for the prompt! You can also find it on Ao3!

“Ice-cream? Michael, it’s storming!” Gerard stated, dumbfounded in front of Michael’s desk.

“So? You wanted to try that new place in Morden, didn’t you? And I’m almost done with paperwork, so I could leave early. We might still make it!”

“Michael, go look outside. We’re going to get soaked the second we step out”

“Plenty of people eat ice-cream in the rain.”

“Not this bad, weirdo”

“Now, don’t be a wuss. It’ll be our first date, and it’ll be special!”

“It’ll be wet and cold. And we’ll have watered ice-cream”

“Exactly! It’s unlike any other first date here, don’t you think?” Michael took a pause, bottling up the excitement of his idea for a moment to switch to a look of concern. “Do you really not want to go? I figured it’d be emptier in a day like this, and I have a pretty sturdy umbrella, so I didn’t think it’d be a problem…” The puppy eyes were making an entrance, and Gerard decided to stare at the ceiling. On one hand, not to fall for them, on the other, to hide how a blush was creeping on his nose and cheeks.

“Fine, we’ll go. But we’ll take the train. I don’t want our first date turning into our first being disgustingly sick for a month.”

“You know I love you, right?” Michael had stood and was nosing Gerry’s jaw to encourage a kiss.

“I know I love you. I’m a bit on the fence about the other way, considering you want to walk me around in the rain” The goth kept staring up, not giving his boyfriend the satisfaction just yet.

“Now you’re just doing it to be mean!” Michael chuckled and put some weight on Gerry’s shoulder to unbalance him. “Come on, let’s go grab my coat and we can head out”

“After you”

--

“Do you remember our first date?”

“I don’t think we have had a date yet” the long golden hair pooled over Gerry’s shoulders, Michael’s face upside down in front of him. It was standing right behind him, bent over forward to look him in the eyes with a grin. Spines do not do that, Gerry reminded himself. The presence of his late partner coming back seemingly going back and forth from a crude interpretation of human features, to a very real portrait of the blonde he had kissed goodbye some months ago, to a very inhuman creature in a matter of seconds and with so much ease throughout the day. It hurt. When tender skin was replaced with a cutting shrill sound, and smiles that had been nervous and with uneven teeth were now a perfect grid too long from one side to he other to not be a threat. When Michael was Michael too, but acknowledging so would mean burying Michael deeper in death’s embrace and yanking it from those fleshy dark tendrils that told Gerry about last minutes of cold, disoriented, painful fear.

“Right…” his sight took no time in getting slightly glassy, not sure whether it was the Distortion’s effect or the tears. His smile diminished, and he sighed.

“I did not mean to make you sad” Michael apologized immediately, standing upright, suddenly a more normal height, and only leaned a bit forward to hug Gerard from behind, hands carefully away from him, but arms comforting.

“I know, Michael… I just… Do you remember anything from when we dated? When you were… Shelley?” Gerry squeezed out, like it hurt to speak. He gazed into his coffee, lips pursed, and watching his own tears fall on his hand, firmly tight around his mug.

“I do hold all those memories, somehow. Michael Shelley’s mind is my own and I am his…” it paused, visibly struggling to elaborate. “I know of your first date. But that was not me, and the person you went on that date with does not particularly exist anymore, I’m afraid. Michael Shelley died in-” but it was cut off.

“Stop…” Gerard mumbled what should've been a sob. He took a deep breath and steadied himself, trying to wipe his tears without smudging his makeup. The Distortion used the edge of its coat to help dry them, a frown on its lips.

“You did ask”

“I did. I thought you’d, I dunno, tell me about that day, how Michael Shelley felt…”

“Would it help to tell you it was beautiful?” Michael asked, standing now next to Gerard, offering a normal hand to him. He took it, mumbling a half-hearted, confused “what?” like he hadn’t quite processed what was being said yet, before Michael smiled, looking around the room to distract itself from Gerry's stare. “He… I… I-it’s difficult… But I do remember the feeling of that day, somehow”

“Gonna tell me?”

“You know I have a hard time with these things, give me a moment” Michael scrambled its facial features, embarrassed. They all only settled in place like they had been tugged back when it heard Gerry chuckle with sadness.

“You don’t have to. It was… It was stupid to ask,” Gerry shook his head, breathing in deep to stop the tears “it’s not like all is gone, I should be concerned with the now. With you” he heaved a sigh and tried shooting a grin at the blindingly neon pile of “whatever” that seemed to be concentrating really hard.

“I said ‘give me a moment’, didn’t I?” it scoffed with a pout. How did Gerard know it was a pout? Maybe instinct. “I want to show you I mean it. Close your eyes” the creaking of a new door beginning to form.

“That doesn't sound threatening at all”

“Arse. You'd be dead if I didn’t care. Trust me a little”

“Are the last words I would hear before stepping into your architectural mind-blender” Gerry batted a hand in the door’s direction and somehow the thing stopped halfway, like he had just erased its top half. Michael seemed white hot with offense. “Sorry, sorry. I'm just- I'm not ready yet. In my memory you're still too human and too… him. My instinct still kicks in when you show me these” Gerry sniffled, the crying having died down. “Maybe we can do something about it though”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… it's pouring outside” he gestured with the mug at the window.

“And?”

“Michael, you said you remembered!” he tried pouting, even though the lack of expected response had deeply hurt.

“I did not, did I?”

“I mean… no. No, no, you didn't. I was being stupid again”

“For someone so ‘stupid’, you're quite clever,” the Distortion made a pause that did not read too well, apparently.

“Thanks?” Confused and thinking it was the end of the sentence, Gerry decided to give up and accept the compliment properly. “Thanks, Michael…–

“Clever enough to remember why Shelley and you felt so disappointed initially” it finished.

“So, you do remember. The shop was closed because nobody was having ice-cream in the middle of a storm. And Michael was so sad about it”

“It’s such a shame that I have no way to easily take you to the Italian café that had affogato that you led him to right after” Michael's door started recuperating, this time the wood had more grain and a rich coffee-like colour.

Gerry considered it, “we wouldn't be drenched by the time we walked in... But, I could do with a walk,” he insisted, standing up to go grab his coat and an umbrella, ignoring the new door completely. “Besides, I want to see what the water does to your hair like that.”

Michael’s incessant shape seemed to recoil, and vanished itself through the door, coming out of the bathroom door of the room looking quite like Michael Shelley, maybe slightly taller and with longer hair. The teeth in its smile perfect and white. Bright, spiral-shaped buttons on its coat and a patchwork scarf hanging almost to its knees. “You can be so rude”

“Almost as rude as you” Gerry said, kissing its shoulder and grabbing his keys.

As they went down the stairs, Michael held on Gerard’s hand with an air of uncertainty in the result of said action. Gerry gave it a short squeeze and turned to it. “You know I still love you, right?”

Michael grimaced, trying to keep its features together and looked away for a second, squeezing the hand back in response.

[tonberry-yoda]

A Hobie Thing To Do - Hobie Brown

notes - Here's the Hobie fic for that poll I did! Thank you everyone who voted and the Hobie lovers for asking for another fic! It feels a tad rushed story wise, but it's silly and I like the concept, so I hope you enjoy! Stay hydrated everyone! word count - 810

London was pretty boring. You were expecting more when you moved there, but honestly, it was a lot of rain and a lot of the people you were already used to. College was nice and everything and it wasn't like you were miserable, but you were definitely bored.

Until you met him. Hobie Brown. A punky, guitar playing, pierced up boy with a loud mouth and amazing hair.

You met him while goofing around with a band you played with occasionally. He kicked open the door with drinks in his hands and smiled when he saw you, setting down the drinks to shake your hand.

"You have amazing eyes." he told you with a wink.

You told him you liked his outfit and you hit it off from there, playing music together or eating junkfood in your dorm.

And not too long afterwards, the two of you started dating. He never called it dating, but never got mad when you did, so you definitely considered the two of you to be together in some romantic regard.

Plus, he would kiss you without hesitation and wrap his arm around you whenever someone seemed to be bothering you.

At the end of the day though, after weeks of dating, the two of you became inseparable and the only time you were really away from each other was when you were at school.

"Have you guys seen Hobie?" you asked the band as you walked in with sandwiches, handing one to everyone.

"No," said the drummer, Curtis, shoving the sandwich in his mouth. "I don't know if he's coming. He didn't say anything."

You just nodded and sat down, turning on the TV. Curtis' parents always had it on the news channel and it was playing something about Spiderman.

"Ugh, Spiderman," said the singer, Alley, rolling her eyes. "I hate that guy."

"Why?" you asked, turning to her. "He's a punk dude, I think he's so sick."

"Yeah, but he's just making excuses to break the law and claim he's saving the world. It's not very punk if you ask me,"

"That's so stupid, Alley."

"Maybe to you. I think it's pretty rational."

"I just think you don't know the guy," Hobie said, walking in and grabbing his own sandwich. "Though, maybe you're right."

"Hey, Hobie." you smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "Where were you?"

"Well, it's finally not gross out, so I figured I'd walk today. Sorry I'm a little late. Anyways, what's Spiderman up to?"

You watched the TV for a second and turned back to Hobie. "Apparently someone was trying to attack some bus downtown and he saved it."

Hobie just hummed in response and kept eating. He felt weird about not telling you that he was Spiderman, but at the same time, he thought it was obvious at this point and was trying to see how long it would take you.

"Who do you think's under that mask?" Curtis asked.

You just shrugged. "Probably some rockstar. Maybe someone we've seen live?"

You and the rest of the band became coming up with theories about Spiderman as Hobie kicked back his feet and watched himself save the bus in slow-mo for the fifteenth time with a stupid grin. You really weren't going to figure it out, were you?

Well, in that case, he thought it would be fun to tease you a bit.

You were on a walk in the rain, petting stray cats and shopping. Hobie had his Spiderman costume on and waited until you got into an alleyway before hanging upside down in front of you, shocking you a bit.

"Spiderman?" you said. "What's up?"

He smiled under the mask and stood in front of you before walking over to a wall, leaning against it. "What's up with you?" he asked.

"Just going home." you told him.

Hobie rolled his eyes under the mask. He didn't even change his voice, how did you not notice it was him yet?

"I heard you're in a band." he said.

You tilted your head. "How did you know that?"

"A friend of mine knows you."

"Really? Who?"

"His name's Hobie." He had to hold back laughter.

You thought for a minute and looked at him unamused. "Really, Hobie?"

He shot a web and hung back upside down in front of you before making sure no one was around to slide off his mask.

"How long have you been Spiderman?" you asked.

"How long has Spiderman been around?"

You rolled your eyes with a smile. "This is crazy."

"Unexpected?"

"No. This definitely feels like a Hobie thing to do."

"Why's that?" He smirked.

"Because of course, you of all people would be Spiderman somehow."

"I guess that is a Hobie thing to do, innit?"

You cupped his face and smiled before pressing your lips to his as he hung upside down.

~~~~~

into the spiderverse masterlist | pinned post 2023 @tonberry-yoda – do not repost or claim ANY of my work as your own! likes, reblogs, and comments are not only welcome, but appreciated

~~~~~

[mayhem-neverending]

The Big Bad Wolf

Part XI

Word Count: 4,228

Warnings: Mentions of death

Note: Lights, Camera, Action! Don't mind the beginning, please and thanks. And Obito is in this part, don't worry.

Once again sitting across from him, Kakashi had the space to collect himself. He was internally reeling from your warmth and delicious smell, the ghost of your touch lingering in his hair. You appeared largely unaffected, but happy with the interaction.

A buzzing from his pocket stole his attention. He pulled it out and opened it, seeing a string of notifications. Two were from Genma, one was from Guy. He opened Guy’s first.

Rival!! I just heard you came to your paramour’s rescue!!! Is it true!!?? You are truly HEROIC!!

Kakashi opted to ignore that for the moment and opened Genma’s messages.

I thought you said you guys werent together

does that mean ur coming to my bday party too?

An irritated sigh exited his nose. His irritation clashed, however, with the excitement he felt from your conversation. He tucked his phone away without bothering to answer and only smiled at your questioning brow.

“How did Obito like meeting Hikaru?” He asked pleasantly.

“I think he was a little unsure at first, but he came around towards the end I think,”

“That sounds about right,”

“I really need you to get him a phone. I would hate for me or Hikaru to be sick and I don’t have any way to get a hold of him,”

“Makes sense. I’ll look into it tomorrow,”

“Thanks,”

You mirrored Kakashi as he sipped his sake. He looked around briefly before asking, “You don’t happen to have any of that food you were talking about earlier, do you?”

“No, I left it all with Obito. Are you hungry?”

“A little,”

“Well, I’m sure Obito’ll be happy to see you,” You raised an eyebrow at him.

“Kicking me out?”

“Never. I just think it would be good for him to see you. He’s been doing a lot better, and I think he’d be proud to show you his progress,”

He thought for a moment. “Not tonight. I’ll make some time tomorrow though, okay?”

You grinned. “That’d be great, Kakashi.”

“And you’re welcome to my fridge, if you want. I don’t really have the energy to cook right now,”

“What do you have?”

You playfully rolled your eyes. “Go look,”

He kept his drink in his hand while he got up to look. You followed him, your own drink in one hand and phone in the other. You set them down and hoisted yourself onto the counter. You settled yourself and opened up your phone. You hadn't heard it go off but you figured you might as well check.

You were glad you did. There was a message from Hina, your cousin… And a missed call from Toma, but you weren’t going to give that one any of your energy.

hey no worries here im with my aunt. the one w dementia near the border. Ill lyk if anything happens but im sure itll all be okay

thanks for worrying abt me tho. r u coming when I give birth still? im due in like 2 weeks

“Fuck,”

Kakashi looked back at you from where he was bent over, placing a bake-able tupperware container in the oven. “Hm? What’s wrong,”

“A. I forgot I told Hina I would be there when she gave birth, and B. She didn’t take my warning seriously… The upside is that she isn’t near her husband’s compound, though. She’s on the western border, closest to us.”

“You should tell her to stay there. It’ll be easier to extract her in case of an emergency.”

You did just that, and told her you would try to find a sitter for Hikaru so you could be there for her. To her it was just a loving family member there to help her; for you it was an extra set of eyes and capable hands there to protect her. If the Zen’in Clan stirred up trouble, like they always did when things didn’t go in their favor, it would compromise the safety of her and her baby.

“Would I be able to take off for that?” You asked Kakashi, who was leaning against the counter opposite you, his feet crossed at the ankle in front of him.

“For her baby’s birth?”

“Yeah,”

He tilted his chin down and his thin brows furrowed. “I don’t know, Y/n. It would be incredibly dangerous for you to go into a country that is in such a politically tumultuous state right now,”

You grumbled, but didn’t push the subject further. You would have to play it by ear, anyway.

The next morning your son woke you extra early. He wasn't allowed to go to school until twenty-four hours after his fever had subsided, so you had convinced your grandma to take him for the day before you had gone to bed.

You got up slowly and went about your usual routine. The morning was incredibly bright from the sun reflecting off the surface of the white snow. Before you left, you tried to find a pair of sunglasses, but only found Hikaru’s half-bent ones. He didn’t care for your attempt at putting them in his toy bin and took them from you, smashing them on his face until they balanced enough for him to walk around with them.

Your grandma was closer to the forest than the daycare was, so you had taken a little extra time getting out the door. You styled your hair differently and chose a nicer set of warm clothes - a more fitted sweater and jeans. You wouldn’t admit it, but you knew deep down who you were trying to look nice for.

The walk took longer than you had anticipated since you had forgotten to factor in Hikaru’s desire to stomp around in the freshly fallen snow. You let him dig his toes in and drag his feet and shove his little hands in it in wonder; choosing to be patient and appreciate the sheer joy lighting up his chubby face.

Waiting in the front window, your grandmother watched as you two approached until you opened the front gate. She opened the door and called for Hikaru with a delighted smile.

“My boy! I haven’t seen you in what feels like 50 years!” She exclaimed dramatically.

He wasn’t giving her any attention, opting to plop straight down into the snow and giggle. You shook your head with a smile and hoisted him up, effectively covering yourself in the snow that came with him.

You handed him off to your grandma, told her you loved her and kissed Hikaru on both cheeks, repeating the same phrase to him. You waved goodbye and made a swift exit.

Obito was worried you might not make it But there he was, standing in his window, watching you take dramatically large steps as you trudged through the deep snow. The scene put a massive grin on his face. He courteously opened his front door for you when got close enough.

“Good morning,” you untied your boots on the front step, sliding your feet out and hopping into the cottage.

“Good morning!” He replied cheerily, shutting the door behind you.

“Somebody’s in a good mood,”

He thought you were being sarcastic, but you smiled up at him warmly, even if it didn’t quite reach your eyes. You smacked the snow off your boots and pulled them inside, letting him close the door behind you. Instead of your usual route to the kitchen, you veered off the path and tossed yourself on the couch.

“Walking in that snow really wore me out,”

He playfully rolled his eyes. “So, that means you get to slack off on the clock?”

“Of course,” you patted the seat next to you with a little smile. “Come slack off with me?”

He settled onto the cushion next to you, turning his body so that he was facing you. A comfortable silence surrounded the two of you for a few short minutes. He studied your profile while you stared at the fire, obviously lost in thought.

“I had an interesting evening after I left yesterday,”

“Oh?”

“My ex’s new girlfriend harassed me outside of the apothecary, then Kakashi shows up and tells me that Akujia has outlawed all forms of chakra control!”

“Shit, are you serious?” he leans back, his smile slipping.

“Dead,”

“That is not good,”

You nodded in agreement. “My cousin, Hina, still lives there, but when I told her she should consider moving here she just kinda blew me off. She doesn’t - I don’t know how to put this without seeming like an ass - but she… lac- has chosen.. not to.. hone.. her critical thinking skills. God I sound like a shitty person, but in short, I’m genuinely worried about her and her baby,”

“Is she a chakra-user?”

“No, but her baby is the heir of the Zen’in clan,”

His brows shot up and he made a face like he was impressed. “No shit? Good for her,”

His comment lightened the mood, and you threw him a playful smile. “I know, right? She’s really got it made. Her husband not only loves her, like, intensely, but he’s loaded, attractive, and with the servants, the girl never even has to lift a finger,”

“Hm, does sound pretty nice,” he rested the side of his head on the back of the couch. “Is that what you want?”

“Which part?”

You enjoyed your view of him. His black hair, which needed another trim, was still moussed up a bit from sleep, and the depth of his eyes was revealed in the stream of sunlight illuminating him. The warmth of the sun softened his sharp features, and he looked absolutely charming the way he was smiling at you. He licked his lips before he spoke, drawing your attention to them. Despite being slightly chapped, you thought they looked awfully silky. You briefly wondered what he would do if you reached out and touched them.

“Attractive, loaded, the servants - is that what you want in a man?”

The seriousness of his tone had you giggling. You shook your head ‘no’. “The love part is the most important to me. I don’t particularly want servants, but money is definitely a perk. I like feeling financially secure, for sure,”

“Attractiveness?”

You raised your brow. He was looking at you attentively, like this was a very important conversation. It made you feel a little weird, but you answered honestly, “In general, I find a lot of people attractive, but in an objective way. I rarely find people that I’m attracted to. And that’s what’s important to me. Someone could tell me they don’t think who I’m dating is all that good looking, but it doesn’t matter all that much to me, because I’m attracted to them as a whole person, y’know? Not just their looks,”

He nodded like you had just given him some profound insight. You, now curious because of his strange behavior, turned the question around on him. “What is important to you in a woman?”

You rested your cheek on your fist. He looked a bit scattered at having been asked the same thing. “Uh, well,”

He cleared his throat and looked away from you. In a flat tone, he muttered, “Dunno, haven’t really thought about it,”

A frown tugged at your lips and you looked at him in puzzlement. “In all your life, you haven’t really thought about it?”

With downcast eyes, he replied, “That’s a conversation for another day,”

You nodded, accepting his answer for the time being. You stood and stretched your arms over your head. “Well, it’s pretty late, how about brunch?”

“Whatever you want,” he replied with a shrug, easing back into his lighter tone.

“I love it when you say that,” you winked.

He followed you into the kitchen in his normal fashion, leaning against the counter-top and taking up your precious little prep space. It didn’t matter how many times you had to move him around the kitchen while you worked, he always stayed if he wasn’t preoccupied with anything else.

He made himself comfortable, folding his arms over his chest and leaning heavily into the counter. He looked intimidating like this sometimes; his mouth set in a firm line while he silently watched.

He wore a black t-shirt, rather than his usual long-sleeve, and you wondered once again about his arms being two completely different colors. What really caught your attention, though, was the muscle definition. You had a hard time tearing your gaze away from the well defined-lines; only narrowly avoiding him catching you by quickly reaching beside him to grab a cutting board.

“I’m thinking extra protein today. How about Eggs Benedict, but make it with chicken cause we don’t have ham?”

“Hm, as long as you fry the chicken like you did last time, I’m game,”

“Oh, that was a new recipe. You liked that?”

“Oh, yeah,” he replied mischievously. “I liked it, ‘like a lot’,”

“You little shit,” you said with a grin.

He laughed at your expense, but you enjoyed his teasing. He was absolutely wonderful to be around whenever he wore his goofy grin. For the first time, you blushed when he aimed it at you.

Feeling a little hot and a host of butterflies in your stomach, you looked away from him and busied yourself with starting brunch. He talked to you about a new quilting project he was sketching out while you pulled everything you needed out. He was animated, drawing the shapes in the air with his finger in an attempt to better convey his vision.

You told him to just get the paper he drew it on with a laugh, and he went off into the living room in search of it among the scraps. You shook your head to yourself, wondering how you could be so happy just listening about his excitement over his project.

You were beginning to remove the bones from the raw chicken when your phone started to ring loudly. Your bag was in the living room so you asked Obito to grab it really quickly for you. He trotted over with it and you asked him who it was.

“Uh, Hina. That’s your cousin, right?”

Anxiety flared in your chest, “Answer it, put it on speaker, please,”

He answered and clicked the speaker button, standing close to you and holding it near your face so you could speak clearly into it. You answered, “Hey,”

“Hi,” she answered in an unnaturally high, broken pitch and you immediately stopped what you were doing, your body stilling while your heart-rate increased.

“Hina?” You asked slowly.

“I-” she cut herself off with a sudden burst of loud, uncontrollable sobbing.

You dropped your knife and pushed Obito over with your hip to get access to the sink. You turned it on and called her name again, but it only caused her to let out a guttural sob that pierced straight through your chest. You hurriedly washed your hands and wiped them on your jeans, grabbing the phone from Obito.

“Hey, hey, Hina? What’s going on?”

You heard shaky breathing on the other end and assumed she was attempting to get enough control to speak, but only seconds later she let out another sharp cry. Your wide eyes met with Obito’s. Something bad happened, obviously, and your mind conjured up image after cruel image. Your hands began to shake almost imperceptibly as adrenaline coursed through you.

“Hina, sweetie. I’m right here. Please, can you tell me what’s going on?”

“I-”

“Take a deep breath with me?”

She made a noise and you started. “In… out…”

After a single breath, she screeched, “They killed him!”

Her uncontrollable sobs were let loose once again, cut up by sharp, ragged breaths. “The. Oh God..-”

On the other end you heard retching, and your hand unconsciously covered your mouth. Your heart dropped into your stomach and your shaking worsened. Your feet were glued to the floor, eyes unfocused on the cabinet in front of you. All of your senses dulled except your hearing, focusing so you could catch any words she tried to get out between heaves. Every noise she made was amplified and rang in your ears.

In between her heaving she breathlessly got out, “The clan… The meeting..”

You assumed she finished vomiting and you listened to her struggle to breathe in and out. “They massacred the clan! Javi’s dead!”

“Where are you?” you asked urgently.

“Still-still with my aunt,”

“Stay there, do you hear me?”

“But-”

“Stay. There. I will come get you,”

There was complete silence on the other end of the line. You waited with baited breath, staring into nothing.

You had never heard her sound smaller than when she asked, “How long?”

You had to pause for a moment; your mind blanking as her voice gutted you. As quickly as you could, you did the math in your head, your heart aching for her. “Two days,”

She sniffled, and a tremor of fear rang through her voice as she asked, “You promise?”

“I promise,” you replied with sincerity.

After a beat, you calmly said, “I have to make a couple calls, okay?”

“I’m scared,” she cried.

“I’m so, so sorry, Hina. This should have never happened to you, and I know it’s hard, but you need to stay as calm as you can for your baby, okay?”

She cried softly on the other end. After a long pause she finally said, “Okay,”

“I’m hanging up now. I’ll be in contact with you later.” You hit the ‘end call’ button, almost missing from the shaking of your hands.

Immediately, you called Kakashi. You finally regained the ability to move, and paced up and down the room as the phone rang. It rang and rang.. and went to voicemail. You took the phone away from your ear and fervently hit the call button again. Your pace increased as it rang and you held the phone in an iron-grip.

He answered. “Hey, I can’t really-”

“They killed the Zen’in clan,” you blurted.

Before he had a chance to respond, you hurriedly gave him the short version of your previous call. There was muted talking in the background and a short, agonizing silence before he spoke to you again.

“Listen, I can’t just send you out on your own. This isn’t just a matter of family; the Zen’in are important people and your cousin is carrying the last living member as far as we’re aware. I have no doubt that someone will come after her to finish the job they started if they find out she’s still alive,”

“Obito can come with me,” you rushed out before your mind could even process.

“Y/n. I can’t. He’s on house arrest, the council-”

“They don’t have to know. Besides, he’s stronger than the rest of the jounin, and everyone’s busy. Please, Kakashi,” you reasoned.

You looked at Obito out of the corner of your eye, and slowly registered that his eyes were glossed over. He likely wasn’t hearing any of your conversation.

He let out a frustrated sigh. “Y/n,”

Hina’s broken sobs reverberated in your mind, and a sense of desperation rose from your chest into your throat.

Your voice broke as you begged, “Please,”

Silence, and then, “Go home, change into your uniform, and bring your gear. Pack a separate civilian outfit. Meet me back at Obito’s when you’re done. No more than two hours; this has to be done quickly,”

“Yes, sir. Thank you,”

You pulled your phone away to end the call when he asked, “What will you do with Hikaru?”

“Fuck!” You raked your fingers over your scalp.

“Just. Fucking Toma can take him,”

“Are you sure?”

You huffed in frustration. “He won’t listen to me if I try to talk to him, but no one else can keep him for four plus days. Can you- would you call him at work or something? Please, for me? He’d probably listen to you,”

“Okay, I’ll try,”

“Thank you.” You hung up the phone.

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath. When you opened them, Obito was standing in front of you. His face was deeply lined with worry. He hesitantly reached out in an attempt to comfort you, but stopped midway, unsure of himself. You breached the gap, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and burying your face into his chest.

“That was…” he trailed off.

He awkwardly tried to comfort you by patting your shoulder while his other arm circled around your back. The exchange was brief; you backed away and hastily made for your coat and boots by the front door. While shoving your feet in your boots, you vaguely heard him trailing after you.

“Less than two hours,” you said, now slinging on your coat.

“What?”

“I’ll be back here in less than two hours. Kakashi’s coming, so be ready to go,”

“Ready to go?”

You stopped unlatching the door and looked at him over your shoulder, becoming frustrated as you felt the clock ticking. “Yes, Obito. You’re coming with me. Have an outfit packed, I assume Kakashi will bring the rest of what you need,”

He stared at you with wide eyes and a dropped jaw, but you chose not to respond. Instead, you flung open the door and slammed it shut behind you. You sprinted through the snow covered path to your apartment, and, when you hit the village, you jumped between the rooftops despite the snow, hurrying as fast as you could.

In your apartment, you ripped your closet door open and pulled out a few storage bins that contained all of your shinobi equipment. It was one of the few things from your past you fought Toma tooth and nail to keep, and you could never have been more grateful to your past self for standing her ground.

You found your winter uniform at the bottom of the second bin. You pulled on a black, long-sleeve compression shirt. Over that you wore your kusari gusoku, or the protective chain-mail most ninja wore under their clothes. You pulled on the standard pants with leggings underneath for added warmth, and black boots. You added a thin, but incredibly warm, water resistant hooded jacket that clung to you comfortably.

Taking a seat on your bed, you added white tape to your leg. While rolling it on, you smacked your hand against something hard. You reached into one of your many pockets and to your surprise, found a hidden kunai mechanism; a spring-loaded wire that allows the user to extend and retract kunai from their sleeve instantly. You placed it back where you found it, just in case, and finished the wrappings.

Instead of the regular issued sandals, you pulled on the lesser used, but still military issued, black boots. They formed to your feet perfectly - they had always been your favorite pair of shoes, and the feeling brought in a wave of memories. You had to push them away while you continued, but the nostalgia lingered.

Tying the hitai-ate around your neck was the last piece of the puzzle. The weight of it felt right, a familiar heaviness that steadied your racing thoughts. You wanted to look in your full length mirror, but knowing you would distract yourself, you readied your weapons, tools, and pack first. They were all in one place, so it took only a few minutes to distribute what you needed to your pockets and the rest to your bag. Before you decided to call it good, you went into your bathroom and tossed in some of your first aid stuff, since your old kit hadn’t been touched in years.

Packing a couple outfits (an extra for Hina, just in case), shoes, and basic everyday necessities took up the rest of your time. The apartment looked like a tornado had run through it when you had finally closed the zipper, but you hardly glanced at it. You pulled your bag strap over your shoulder, and an overwhelming sense of anxiety slammed into your gut.

As if in a trance, you went back into your bedroom closet, and pulled out one of Hikaru’s baby blankets and an old swaddle. In the back of your mind you reprimanded yourself for using up space for something that would likely prove useless, but you couldn’t help yourself. Your anxiety had always led you to pack for ‘just in case’ scenarios, and you wouldn’t be changing this time.

Before you put it back on, you allowed yourself one glance in the mirror. The woman who stared back at you was a person you had never expected to see again. Tears welled in your eyes because for the first time in years, you fully recognized the person in the mirror. There was hardly any change, physically. You looked a little older, the dark circles under your eyes a little darker, your hands a little softer, maybe even a little wiser, but all in all, you looked like you, again. Or at least a version you had loved.

You covered your mouth as a quiet, relieved sob spilled out. You blamed your tears on your heightened emotions, and quickly wiped them away. You gave your reflection a watery smile, and waved at yourself like you were greeting an old friend. You tore yourself away before you could get lost in it and headed back to Obito’s.

Part XII

Tag List: @mostlyunsure, @humongousdreamlandbear, @ichaichahatake

[friendly-fire-not-tolerated]

From a young age, Buck had been taught that he was the problem. No matter what he did, if it was slightly frustrating to his mother, it was purposefully meant to hurt her. Oh, and if she wanted to be mad? All she had to do was have a conversation with him. She knew exactly how to twist any word out of his mouth into an attack against her.

She did it with Maddie, too, but Maddie was more careful. She knew how to think everything through. Buck, however, never quite figured out how to skirt the eggshells their mother scattered around her. It didn't matter how he tiptoed through their conversations, or how good he tried to be, she always found some way to hurt herself with it.

So, when Buck made it out, he thought that was it. He thought he'd be able to avoid it now. And when they started to make amends after he found out about Daniel, he thought that they could finally address that. That she would see what she was doing.

But even that was an attack. Buck trying to communicate his feelings was equivalent to him shooting his mom in the head in her eyes. He kept trying, though. He was determined to see it through and get to a place where he and his mother could finally speak to each other without it feeling like an active warzone.

"Yeah," Buck said, sighing and rubbing his eyes. His ear ached from how long he'd had the phone pressed to it. "Yeah, love you too, Dad."

The door opened and he looked up. Eddie slipped into the loft and locked the door behind himself. He smiled at Buck as he walked over. The smile quickly dropped and Buck felt guilty. Eddie didn't deserve to deal with Buckley Bullshit after working a 48-hour shift.

"No, Dad--" Buck sighed again and leaned back in his chair, dragging his hand down his face. "Hey, Mom."

Eddie nodded and silently mouthed: "Oh."

One corner of Buck's mouth ticked up before falling again.

"Evan. Did you seriously already stain the couch we just bought you? I spent three-hundred dollars on that couch!" She scoffed. "This is just like you. You never think about anything and--"

"Mom, I have to go. Eddie's here--"

She scoffed again. "Right. Eddie. So he matters more than your own family now? You love him more than you do your own parents?"

"Yes," Buck answered simply. He pulled the phone away from his ear and hung up, tossing it down on the table in front of him before burying his face in his hands.

Eddie opened the fridge and pulled out two beers. "Everything okay?"

"Everything's normal."

"So... no."

Buck shook his head. Eddie set one of the beers in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder. "What's going on?"

"There's a stain on my couch," Buck answered. Eddie was well aware of the stain. Eddie was there what the stain was made.

"The one from Chris spilling his drink?"

Buck nodded. "I already cleaned it. It's gone. But the fact it happened is unacceptable."

"Why? It's a fucking couch."

Buck shrugged. He picked up the beer and downed half of it. "She picked it out and paid for it. That means she owns it and I'm just using it."

"That's..."

"Normal."

"I was going to say 'fucking stupid.'"

A small huff of a laugh escaped Buck. Eddie stepped behind him and put his hands to Buck's jaw, tipping his head back so they could look at each other. Buck pressed his head into Eddie's stomach and gazed up at him. Why did Eddie care so much? Buck was a fuck up. A problem. A stain.

"It's just a couch, babe," he reminded Buck, rubbing his thumb along Buck's jawline. "It's your couch. So what if there's a stain or two? It just means you're actually using it how it's supposed to be used."

"Is it wrong that I still hate them? I know we're trying to work through things, but... I still just want to run away sometimes."

"I don't think so. I think it would be more weird if you didn't hate them sometimes," Eddie said. He leaned forward and kissed Buck upside down. "I love you."

Buck hummed, his eyes still closed after the kiss. "I love you."

He thought about the last thing his mother had said, and his answer. It was mean. It was meant to be hurtful. But... it was also true. Of course he loved Eddie more than he loved his parents. Eddie was obligated to love and take care of him. He did it because he wanted to.

Even when Eddie did snap at Buck and tell him he was exhausting and a problem, it had been for a valid reason. Buck had done something that genuinely did directly affect him. It wasn't the same as staining a couch or phrasing something slightly wrong.

"Is it wrong that I love you more than I love them?"

Eddie shrugged. "If it is, then I'm wrong too. I also love you more than I love my parents."

"Then I guess we'll have to be wrong together."

"Mm-hmm," Eddie smiled, "I guess so."

[mrs-gauche]

The “Flip it” Theory

(I’m sorry, it’s like 3am and I couldn’t come up with a better title. lol)

So.. Here’s another fun little DA tinfoil hat theory that you might have already heard about, but I don’t think I’ve seen it discussed on here before? It also probably sounds super unhinged, but at this point, can we even get any more unhinged in terms of theories? lol So, we might as well just embrace it. It’s just one of those theories that simply won’t leave my mind (especially when trying to sleep at 3am lol), so writing it down will hopefully put it to rest. 😁

Okay, so we all know that, in the Fade, the laws of gravity or physics in general don’t really apply and are all over the place, right? There’s no real sense of time or space, no real “up” or “down” as the Fade does not follow any rules of the waking world and is somewhat shaped by whatever the person dreaming expects reality to look like or quote, “is reflected by the mind of the living”.

So when we see the Inquisitor fall into Fade in “Here Lies the Abyss”, it’s even emphasized by how the camera movement in-game and the environment in the Fade has to “adjust” according to how the Inquisitor expects gravity to work, or rather, what the world’s supposed to look like to us, meaning the sky has to be up and the ground has to be down. lol

Additionally in Trespasser, we see that, not only is the Vir Dirthara scattered all over the place, but in parts also completely flipped upside down.

(I’m so sorry btw, I just now realized that looking at these gifs for too long can make you feel super dizzy. lol)

The reason I’m pointing this out, is because it keeps reminding me, for one, of this mural.

Of course, since this mural was first shown in the teaser trailer in 2020 and has been thoroughly analyzed by the fandom, it seems pretty clear by now that, with the way this mural is composed, particularly with the two upside down figures, BioWare intentionally encourages us to look at this image upside down. What’s even more intriguing to me, seeing as the Dread Wolf appears to break into the Black City here, “releasing” the raw magic of the Fade with its non existent rules of reality to the waking world and in doing so, figuratively and in some respects quite literally “turning the world upside down”.

Though while most people seem to focus on the two figures here (that are most definitely the two remaining Evanuris still sleeping/imprisoned or something like that, but that’s not the topic of this post lol), you might have heard of this other crazy theory suggesting that, when looking at this mural upside down, the shape of the Dread Wolf appears to roughly resemble that of a mountain.

(I warned you this leans VERY heavy on the tinfoil hat, but please don’t leave yet lol) Okay so, as far as I understand it, the theory suggests a potential connection to a particular mountain mentioned in the lore, called Belenas.

In a legend of the Avvar, it is said that Korth the Mountain-Father kept his throne at the peak of the mountain Belenas, which “lay at the center of the world”. The tale goes as follows:

Korth took his heart out of his chest and hid it within the Frostback Mountains to avoid being weakened by love. When his lack of heart turned him bitter and cruel, the Lady of the Skies sent her children to retrieve it. Though after all her children had failed to do so, the ptarmigan volunteered for the search. The Lady refused to give the tiny bird her blessing, as she thought the mountains was too fierce, but the ptarmigan succeeded where everyone else had failed. It found and freed the heart, allowing it to jump back into Korth's chest, where Hakkon Wintersbreath bound it once again. For her great deed, the ptarmigan was honored by the gods.

When Korth grew tired of heroes barging into his hall to claim the honors they thought they were due for climbing the mountain of the gods, he spoke to the Lady of the Skies, who then lifted Belenas from the earth into her realm, so no one could reach it anymore.

Legend says that Belenas was eventually destroyed during a battle between Korth and the serpent Nathramar, leaving only a vast crater behind that the Lady of the Skies “filled with her tears” and formed what we now know as Lake Calenhad.

Okay, so there’s a lot to dissect here, so I try to make it as brief as possible, but in short, people have noticed a number of intriguing parallels to different pieces of elven lore and theories in this tale, or what could be interpreted as such.

So I’m going to try and take this on one by one. Let’s start with this:

- Korth’s throne sits at the peak of mountain Belenas, at “the center of the world”.

- When looking at the mural from the teaser upside down again, it places the Black City (or the “Maker’s throne”, if you will) at the “peak” of the Dread Wolf shaped “mountain”. It is also known that the Black City sits at “the center of the Fade”, where no one is able to reach it.

- Korth takes his heart out of his chest and hides it within the Frostback Mountains. When his lack of heart turns him bitter and cruel, the Lady of the Skies sends her children to retrieve it.

- If we put in “Titan” for Korth and “Mythal” for the Lady of the Skies, this part is kinda reminiscent of what we know (or suspect) of Mythal, her conquering of the Titans (which would be the Frostback mountains in this comparison) and the theory of the ancient elves killing the Titans and obtaining their hearts, enabling them to create the foci/orbs/vessels of dreams that gives them god like powers. So Mythal sends out her “children”/army in the attempt to conquer the Titan and obtain its heart.

- After all the Lady’s children fail, the ptarmigan volunteers for the search. She refuses to give the tiny bird her blessing, as she thinks the mountains are too fierce, but the ptarmigan succeeds and retrieves the heart.

- Now, this part might be a bit of a reach, but when taking this even further and comparing this whole story to Mythal’s war against the Titans, looking at this tiny little nondescript bird defying the odds and ultimately leading the Lady of the Skies to “victory”, am I the only one who’s a little reminded of Greek mythology here (which, as I’ve mentioned numerous times before now, seems to be at least partially BioWare’s inspiration for the ancient elves), and how in Greek mythology, the Olympians’ victory over the (literal) Titans was the result of a cunning trick devised by Prometheus, who deserted from the Titans’ army beforehand.

And I know I’m certainly not the only one to have noticed a lot of odd similarities between the role of good old Prometheus in mythology and our very divisive Mr wanna-be-Wisdom Pride, aka Solas.

- For her great deed in retrieving Korth’s heart, the ptarmigan is honored by the gods.

- So while we’re at it, why not just compare the little bird to Solas then and assume that, for helping Mythal in her victory over the Titans and obtaining its heart, Solas is somehow honored and elevated to the status of godhood or at least into some sort of exclusive circle of those who the Evanuris trusted the most. (And even rewarded with his own orb, maybe? Might this be what we’re seeing in the mural depicting a Titan’s death?)

- When Korth grows tired of heroes barging into his hall to claim the honors of the gods, the Lady of the Skies lifts Belenas from the earth into her realm, so no one can reach it anymore.

- Now it gets a bit tricky.. If we take this part of the tale as Mythal “lifting” the now dead Titan into her own realm, meaning the sky, maybe it’s nothing more than a metaphor for Mythal mining the Titans’ blood and using the lyrium for her own empire (the creation of bodies for spirits?). Or maybe she literally lifted part of a dead Titan’s body into the sky and used it as a “cornerstone” to build the empire’s capital city Arlathan on top of it.

Which, again, would actually explain why the Black City *cough* Arlathan *cough* is depicted on top of the “mountain” in the 2020 upside down mural. Especially when adding that last part “so no one can reach it”, you know, just like the Black City can’t be reached within the Fade.

- Belenas was eventually destroyed during a battle between Korth and the serpent Nathramar, leaving only a vast crater behind that the Lady of the Skies “filled with her tears” and formed what we now know as Lake Calenhad.

- Again, this part could be interpreted in many different ways. I’ve seen theories spanning from Solas creating the Veil causing the magical floating Arlathan to fall from the sky and destroying the mountain in the process, to the Lady’s “tears” actually being Mythal’s (Great dragon) blood that somehow dripped in the lake when she was murdered, which is why centuries later, the actual Calenhad Theirin would gain special powers when he made a bargain with an old witch (Flemeth?) and drank from said lake.

So yeah, as you can see, there’s a lot to take from all this as far as unhinged tinfoil theories and strange parallels go. lol

And with all of this in mind, I’d like to look at the Black City in the 2020 teaser mural again, as you also might have notice that, in addition to the whole mountain shaped Dread Wolf, when turned upside down, the Black City appears to keep the silhouette of a city, no matter how you look at it?

In fact, a lot of depictions we’ve seen of the Black City share this rather oddly shaped silhouette.

There’s also this stained glass, depicting the city upside down and in both gold and black.

I actually don’t know what to take from all this. It’s just something I’ve noticed while gathering images. lol

But while we’re at it and flipping everything on its head now.. lol While I was looking at all the Trespasser murals again, I also noticed that, when flipped upside down, two of the murals actually form a full circle when put together.

And ohh, would you look at that, there’s the “mountain” (Titan) at the bottom again with the Black City “on top” of it, just like the mural in the 2020 teaser when flipped upside down?? 😂 (Also interesting parallel to note with Solas holding the orb(?) on both the left side of each mural.)

Now, I know I sound super unhinged and I actually don’t think this is supposed to mean anything and it’s probably just a crazy coincidence (..right??), but.... what IF we just go full on tinfoil here now and assume that it IS actually supposed to be looked at this way......

In all the murals we’ve seen thus far, the circle was always assumed to represent the Veil, right? So when looking at it this way, it would put the Titan inside the Fade within the Veil beneath the Black City, right?

So.. Here’s my crazy idea...

Even though we know the Fade is an ever-changing place not bound to any rules of reality or a set geography.. What if the rocky landscapes we see in the “raw Fade” are actually all part of a sleeping/dead Titan(s)?

And while we are looking at these rocks again, am I the only one reminded of the structures seen in the deepest level of the The Descent dlc, a gargantuan cavern located in the so called “Wellspring” within a Titan, which is grouped at the expedition table as a location within “the Uncharted Abyss”.

“The Abyss”, also called the Void in different cultures, myths and historical texts in DA lore, is said to be a place whose location is undefined, but believed to be somewhere within the Fade, “empty places between dreams” (or, according to Solas, the place where spirits are reborn).

So if we go back to the Wellspring again, where we’re looking at what appears to be a literal abyss, a vast sea of clouds.. What we expected to be the deepest and darkest place in the world is revealed to be a bright, seemingly endless “sky” beneath the earth, or rather a Titan.

And with all this in mind, it’s even more intriguing now to go back to the beginning of this post, where we established that, in the Fade, the sky is not set to be “above” or “beneath”. It all depends on the expectation or perspective of the beholder.

(And btw, funnily enough, I actually encountered a bug once at the Wellspring that made it look like the sky was actually “falling down” on me. lol)

And lastly, in relation to all of this, I also want to point out this little quote, said by Flemeth in DA2:

“The world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss.”

While we all know our favorite old witch likes to be overly ambiguous and cryptic in her phrasing, maybe we should take this quote more literal than we previously thought? lol Maybe, with the Veil collapsing some way or another and the angry tainted Titans awakened, the world might literally lose its so called “Pillars of the Earth”, plummeting into the endless void we’ve seen in The Descent.....

Well, shit.

Anyway, I’m afraid that’s all I had to say lol, and if you actually made it this far, thank you so much for engaging in this insanity. 😁 (And sorry if this turned out to be a total waste of your time. 😂)

Though I do have to mention, what actually prompted me to write this post in the first place, was seeing how some people are expecting Solas to be at the White Spire now after reading the synopsis of the upcoming comic series “The Missing” (if you want to know why, skip to the end of this post lol). The White Spire being an Antivan mountain with a very particular shape (at least according to this illustrated map of Thedas that came with every copy of Tevinter Nights).

(I can see where this thing got its name from. lol It almost reminds me of a volcano? 😂)

Which just so happens to ALSO kinda resemble the shape of the “upside down mountain” shaped Dread Wolf from the 2020 mural....

So.. take from this information whatever you like, because I don’t know anything anymore... My head hurts from all this spinning. I’m out. 🥴

[dxsole]

Zachary stood on the rooftop, the moon casting a silvery glow over the city below. He adjusted the flickering candles on the table, their warm light flickering in the cool night air. Tonight had to be perfect. It’s why he booked this place, somewhere fancy. Somewhere private.

As he glanced at Jasper leaning against the railing, a rush of warmth flooded through him. Jasper’s relaxed smile illuminated his face, and in that moment, Zachary felt a happiness he never thought possible.

“Hey,” Zachary managed, his heart racing. He stepped closer, the velvet box hidden in his pocket weighing heavily as he took a deep breath. “There’s something important I want to ask you.”

His voice trembled with the gravity of the moment. “Jas, you’ve shown me a joy I didn’t know existed. I used to wake up with so much dread, so alone. I was so scared. And then you walked into my life and that magnificent brain of yours was so desperate to figure me out. Never in a million years would did I think that some nosy scientist turned librarian would turn my world upside down, and actually make it worth living… I can’t imagine my life without you.” He knelt down, opening the box to reveal the ring nestled inside. “Jasper Despereaux. Will you marry me?”

💍 IT'S BEEN 8 YEARS | Always Accepting Random Asks!

Everything looks so small from up here. So insignificant. For so long he's been afraid of...he's not even sure. Once released, being in that house of his had felt empty. Haunted. And terribly cold above all.

He didn't want anyone to see what became of him, how he left both the house and himself fall into disrepair, hiding the cracks in the walls with heavy drapes and hiding himself away in the soothing dark of his wine cellar, using what little was left of his wit to drive others away, no matter their intentions.

Except Zachary. It may have been his own blunt curiosity that got them talking, but it was Zachary's warmth, something the younger tended to deny even having at the start, that kept Jasper from retreating into the shadows once more.

It's why he can smile now, even when nothing seemed to cause it.

It's also why when Zachary grabs his attention with something important to discuss, his smile remains; at this point, there was very little the pair hadn't overcome. Whatever Zachary was going to say just piqued his curiosity once more, just as it had all those years ago.

It didn't help that poor Zachary looked ready to combust. He starts, voice wavering despite saying such beautiful words and it's about the time he says walked into my life that Jasper understands what's happening; he should have known sooner, honestly. He's been on Zachary's side of things once before, and he had been a wreck. And he hadn't even done the whole on one knee thing.

Jasper has to force his smile from widening too much for fear of laughing at the thought that being on the receiving end of a proposal is much less stressful. Or maybe it just feels that way since he would have said yes to Zachary no matter how he asked.

Although, he did outdo himself. And to do so with that tiny world below them, the pair elevated nearly amongst the clouds— there's poetry in there somewhere, something Zachary and his lyrical talents could explain far better than Jasper ever could, even if he feels it welling up in his chest.

Hand covers the stupid grin that spreads across his features, Jasper unable to hold it back any longer. "You can get off your knee, hm. I can say yes to you at eye level, mon couer." Hand is offered, the elder grunting softly as he helped him up.

"You got me a ring," He comments softly, the pair now in one another's space, noses nearly touching. "I didn't...I did not think I would be allowed to be so happy again. And certainly not end up with someone to love as well."

She'd be happy for him. For once he can feel it, like letting go wasn't such a terrible thing. He always thought starting a new chapter was something for other people, but not him— until today, that is. "Zachary Key," He starts, cradling his love's cheeks, "...my husband."

[little-corritrice]

| The Mafia | ~ Part 3 ~

Genre: Mafia Au, Fanfiction

Pairing: N/A

Rating: Semi-Angst, Fluff

Warnings: Gas Poisoning

Synopsis ~ y/n was just living her life, but when she ran into troubles of her past, she found herself being auctioned off to a mafia named Ateez. Within her time, she soon finds another whom she knows...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There was a sudden loud bang, making me jolt awake from the floor. I looked around, and saw nothing was wrong with my room. I heard a commotion outside, making me go to see what was wrong. I walked down the hall quietly, leaning against the wall. "I don't know why you guys kept her here! She's useless to us! I bet she's still crying like a little bitch up in the room!" Wooyoung yelled, and I heard an aggravated sigh. "She is under our protection now! She has a fucking huge amount on her head because of her bastard of a father! Feel a little sympathy for the girl!" Hongjoong exclaimed, obviously frustrated with the conversation. "So why don't we just kill her? We've killed a bunch of people, so what's one more? Wooyoung yelled, and Hongjoong and him kept arguing as I stood around the corner.

I didn't want to hear anymore so I ran up to the room, and started collecting all of my belongings. I grabbed my backpack, opening the window. I was on the second story, but there was a tree branch that extended over to my window. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I was running out the main gate, trying to figure out which way I was going. I saw a car coming, and decided walk the way it came from. After a couple hours, I finally made it to my town, crying out in relief. I started jogging to my house, and when I reached there, I was shocked. My front door had been kicked open, and some of my windows were broken. I slowly walked in, seeing everything turned upside down. I walked to my room, and there was a note on my bed.

- y/n, We know where you are hiding. You can't run from us, and we will have your head. You got 24 hours before we come after you. Remember, you can't hide forever... - XXX

I shook slightly as I read over the note, dropping it on the bed. I didn't need much time to think before I turned around to start packing. When I did, I saw Yunho standing behind me, and I fell back, shaking more now. "Hey, hey. I'm not going to hurt you. We need to get back to the mansion before someone knows you're here." He said, holding his hand out. I debated my options and chose to go with him because it was probably safer. Right as I was about to grab his hand, a bunch of spotlights were shown in the house, and I was blinded. "Yunho?" I whispered, and felt him grab my hand. "Just stay quiet. And whatever you do, don't let go." He said, and we crawled on the floor to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door. "What are we supposed to do?" I whispered, and he looked for an escape. "The window" He said.

I watched as he climbed on the sink, slowly opening the window. "I want you to go out and just run into the woods, okay? Follow the trail." He said, and I shook my head. "What about you?" I whispered, and he smiled. "I'll be right behind you, okay? Just go. Now!" He whispered, and I climbed out the window. As soon as I landed, I started running towards the woods, finding red circles of spray paint on the trees. I followed it until I was in a clearing, and the rest of Ateez was standing by. I collapsed to my knees from exhaustion, and everyone ran over. "Hey-...an y-...ar me-...y/n-..." Everything was cutting in and out, and I didn't know why. "y/n!" I heard Yunho yell, and he ran over to me, dropping to his knees beside me. "Sta-...th-...me...Ke-...yo-...eyes-...en..." Was the last thing I heard before I let the darkness engulf me entirely.

~ ~ ~

I slowly tossed and turned, feeling a cool cloth on my forehead, making me groan. "Try not to move too much. Your body needs to heal." I heard, and looked up to see Yeosang. "W-what happened?" I whispered, and Yeosang sighed. "You ran away from us, and another gang set up a trap at your house. You were poisoned with gas. Your lucky you got out of there in time." He said, and I nodded. I swung my legs off the bed, going to stand up. "Wait, wait, wait!" Yeosang called, coming around the bed to hold me up. "Where are you going?"' He said, trying to get me to sit, but I was already walking to the door. "To the kitchen." I said, and he made a noise of protest. "No, no. You have to rest." He exclaimed, but I groaned. "Please?" I asked, and after looking in thought for a little, he sighed. "Fine, but then your coming straight back to bed." He said, and I nodded. He helped me down the stairs, and into the dining room.

There was only one other person in here, and it was San. "I'll be right back." Yeosang said, leaving before I could protest. As the door shut behind him, San came over, and I flinched away. "Hey, I won't hurt you. My name is San. You must be y/n. You got a pretty good swing on you." He said, and I stared at the table. "I-I'm sorry. I w-was just p-panicked-" I started, but San chuckled. "It's all good. I understand completely. You were scared, and I shouldn't have approached you like I did. Though, I did hear how Wooyoung has been treating you." He said, and I turned away at the sound of Wooyoung's name. "He just needs to warm up to you. He's very protective of his family, and doesn't trust newcomers easily." He said, and I nodded. "It was a pleasure meeting you. If you need anything, you know to call any of us. I guess I'll see you around, y/n." He said, giving me a big smile before he walked out of the room.

[iguana-eyanna]

In Another Universe Pt. 4

Pairing: Ned Leeds x superhero! reader

Summary: Ned's world turns upside down when his new powers bring a stranger to his world. What's more strange is that she knows who he is.

Ned was back in his apartment. Everyone was in the living room while his doppelganger was webbed in his bathroom. (You think there could be a stranger sentence than that, but he begged to differ)

All he was trying to do was make some ramen again for his friends and the girl that came from another dimension.

Peter looked uneasy, probably since he was thinking a million questions at a time.

MJ was more reserved, thinking it wasn't the time to whip out a smart remark.

And then there was you, who sat uncomfortably on the couch.

Ned returned with a tray of ramen, silently giving them to his friends. He sits a seat next to you, as you two haven't said a word to each other since Ned unmasked the Hobgoblin.

You inhaled sharply and looked around the room.

"Okay, all of us have a lot of questions. I think this world's masked hero should take the floor." You said.

Peter's worried state still hasn't changed, but he coughs a bit.

"How-How did you get here?" Peter asks.

"Ned saved me when I was battling Hobgoblin. When I got unconscious, he took me back to your world. We must have not noticed Hobgoblin following us too." You said.

Peter looks over to his friend.

"Dude, that was dangerous. I thought you shouldn't be doing magic outside of your training." Peter says.

Ned knits his eyebrows.

"How was I supposed to know I can open doors to dimensions? I thought I just opened on the other side of town and saw a spider suit. I kept on calling your name but turned out to be her. And don't lecture me on what I can or can't do, Pete. Don't forget how you got rebellious too when you got recognized by Mr. Stark."

Peter felt a bit defensive hearing his old father figure's name, and MJ placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's not get off topic here, we still need to clear things up."

Peter relaxes back in his chair as MJ looks over to you.

"i think we need to address the elephant in the bathroom. How did your Ne-"

"Hobgoblin" You corrected.

MJ acknowledged you.

"How did Hobgoblin originate?"

You waivered, scared of the past that still haunted you.

"I was looking for intel about the original Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley. He took over the green goblin's old lair and started terrorizing the city. We found him but...

Hobgoblin left his glider that was on self destruct as he took a run for it. You ran towards Ned who was leaning by the wall. You threw your mask away, as your vision was blurred by your tears.

"Ned..." you whispered, trying to control the bleeding.

All he could do was smile at you. Dear God, he was dying but he looked at you so lovingly.

He couldn't speak, he couldn't say his words to you. All he could do was smile and held your face in his hands. He closed his eyes and never opened them again.

"No, no, baby wake up. Please wake up!" You screamed, trying to shake him. You released a blood-curling scream, holding onto him as you mourned the death of your first love.

Suddenly, you brought your head up. You turn around frantically as you spot your bag in the water. You ran to it quickly, finding the serum that the original Green Goblin has used but Kingsley corrected it.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you go." You said, hoping one day Ned would forgive you.

A tear rolled down your cheek as you held yourself.

"The serum didn't work, and I didn't have time to defuse the bomb. I had to go, the sewer closed in when I got out. No one could find anything there. He was just gone, and I was to blame."

Everyone was silent, as all was heard were your sniffles.

"Then how am I alive?" Ned asks.

You can't look at him, as it only brought more pain.

"A few months later, I turned in Kingsley. Then, there were more sightings of a glider on my patrols. I thought it was a copycat of a copycat, but he started to watch my every move. It wasn't until he caught me off guard and chose to fight. It was like he knew my every move, and the only thing he said to me was... that I left him for dead.

That's when I knew and... I never rested till I could save him one more time."

Peter understood, he can count the many times he wishes he could save the people that he couldn't.

You got up from your seat, trying not to break apart.

"Someone needs to watch over him, I'll take the first shift." You said, heading upstairs.

"Hey..." Ned said, making you whip your head to him.

"Be careful." Ned said, but failed to say what he really meant. You hesitate for a moment, but you still went up in silence.

Ned sat back in his seat, burying his hands in his head.

"My doppleganger is locked up in my bathroom. Can this day get any worse?" Ned said out loud.

As if a cruel joke was made towards Ned, there was a knock on the door.

MJ and Peter jumped upright as well as Ned.

Peter walks over carefully and saw who it was through the peep hole.

"It's Wong!" Peter whispers out loud.

"What?" Ned whisper yells.

"What is he doing here?" MJ asks.

"How should I know?"

"You're his apprentice!" MJ and Peter screamed back.

Peter goes up to Ned, placing his hands on his friend's shoulders.

"We need to tell him what's been happening."

"And risk getting into more trouble?"

"Well what do you think we should do?" Peter raises his voice.

Ned combs his hair with his fingers with frustration.

"Go upstairs and warn that Wong is here, I'll try to kick him out."

The two run upstairs as Ned takes a deep breath before opening the door.

"Master Wong! What brings you here?" Ned asks too enthusiastically.

Wong walks in Ned's apartment, hands behind his back.

"I would have used a portal to meet you but Strange said that's 'rude.' I wanted to check on you and see how you were."

"I am A-Okay! Peachy Keen even!" Ned said.

Wong looks at him seriously, making Ned sweat prefusebly.

"I felt I was too harsh on you the last time we spoke. You're still trying to understand your powers, and I felt my responsibilities as Sorcerer Supreme were affecting my judgements on you."

Ned was a bit shocked from Wong's words.

"Oh, um, thank you Master Wong. You didn't have to come all this way." Ned said, hoping he'd leave.

But instead, Wong sat down on the couch, sighing.

"You know Ned, I see so much of myself in you, and I want to see you in your full potential-"

Suddenly, there was a loud thump you could hear from upstairs.

"What is that?" Wong asks.

"That's my... turtle."

Wong raises an eyebrow.

"It sounds like you have a big turtle." Wong says, not convinced.

"Yeah, let me check on it. I'll be back." Ned said, running upstairs.

He goes at the end of the hall and sees MJ trying to hold down the door.

"What's going on?" Ned whispered screamed.

"Your doppelganger woke up in a rampage! I've been holding down the door while the two try to fight him."

The door almost pried open, but MJ and Ned was able to lean against it with force.

"Ned? What's wrong?" Wong calls from downstairs.

"Nothing! I'll make sure to visit the temple this week!" Ned screamed back.

They both tried to hold back the door but it was no use. The door flew back as well as both of them, where MJ was slammed by the wall and Ned at the end of the hall.

He looks up and see you and Peter trying to fight Hobgoblin off, but he was too strong. Peter turned around and saw MJ hurt, so Hobgoblin used the opportunity and threw both of you off of him.

You landed by Ned, groaning as he heard a crack and saw you holding your waist. Hobgoblin takes you by the collar and lifts you up in the air.

He looks down at Ned, grinning.

"You must have loved having her in your life, but let me tell you... you're better off without her." he said, closing his hand around your neck.

"N...Ned... I'm sorry..." You croaked, before fluttering your eyes as you couldn't stay conscious for long.

"Stop!" Ned yelled out, his hands glowing yellow. A string of light wrapped around Hobgoblin's arm. Ned pulled the rope down as Hobgoblin lost grip of you as you landed on the ground.

Hobgoblin tried to free himself from Ned's enchantment but he couldn't.

"Don't. Touch. Her." Ned gritted before moving his hands in a sphere like motion, using magic to bind Hobgoblin.

Ned catches his breath as he never used that much magic before. He bends down towards you and holds you up, trying to call you by your name.

"Ned."

He looks up and sees Wong standing by the staircase, looking at him and Hobgoblin who was still trying to break his binds. In the corner, Peter hugs MJ as she has a minor cut on her forehead. He repeatedly asks if she's alright, and looks over to Ned with an unsure look.

Wong carefully walks over to Ned who's tearing up as all he could do was hold you against his chest.

"She's- she's not breathing." Ned whispered, slightly sobbing.

"Let's bring them to the Sanctum, I'll call Strange to help." Wong said softly, as Ned's hands were still glowing a light shade of yellow.

Ned nodded slowly as he carefully lifted you. Wong used a portal to surround Hobgoblin as he disappeared from their sight.

Wong also opens a portal to the sanctum as Ned followed quickly.

"We need to follow them." MJ said, grabbing Peter's hand.

"But you're still hurt." Peter said, coming to a halt.

MJ looks back at him.

"For the hundredth time, I'm fine. Ned needs us there, Peter... more than ever."

Peter hesitantly nods his head and follows MJ until the portal closed. As they all arrived in the Sanctum, Wong cleared a table as Ned laid you softly there. He took off his varsity jacket, folding it as he placed it behind your head for comfort.

"Will she be alright?" Ned asks.

"I'm not sure, we need Strange here now." Wong said.

As if on cue, a portal opened and entered Strange looking alarmed.

"What happened?" He asks, nearing the table as you laid unconscious.

"I think she cracked her ribs and her larynx is bruised." Ned replied.

"Who did this?" Strange asked as he started to examine you.

"Um- my uh, me. Well- a different form of me-"

"A doppleganger came to our world, she's also not from here." Wong answered for Ned.

"They have some incredible strength to have done this damage. I need you all to leave so I can focus."

"No, I'm staying with her."

"Look kid, I don't need your youthful incompetence. You need to leave NOW." Strange demanded.

"Ned, let Dr. Strange help her." Peter said carefully, never seeing his friend so upset.

Ned takes one glance at you and stormed away, finding the terrace so he could find some air.

Now alone, he begins to cry, slightly sobbing. With his building rage, he created ball of light and threw it in the air, screaming his frustration.

"You took them here, didn't you?" Wong asks as he stood behind Ned.

The Leeds boy takes a deep breath and looks over to his teacher. He didn't look angry... just worried.

"I didn't mean to. I was trying to practice to open portals to show you that I'm committed to be your apprentice. Then I thought the best way to do it right was if I could focus on something. I was envisioning my dreams and thought of her, I didn't think she'd be real."

"You're dreams weren't fictional. You were able to access the memories of your doppelganger when you were unconscious. It's a rare gift because not everyone can remember different memories of themselves for long periods of time." Wong said.

"But out of all people, why her? Why did I have to come in her world and brought her here?" Ned asks, looking out.

Wong walks up to Ned and joins him.

"Our powers are deeply connected to our emotions. Perhaps when you were opening your portal, you were trying to find someone, because you were alone. And maybe... you knew that she felt alone too."

Ned fell silent. He never realized how his answers were right there in front of him.

"How can I make this right?" Ned asked with his head hanging low.

"To find what you're looking for, you must search the answer within you." Wong imparted before he left Ned.

As he left, he raised his head and clenched his fist.

Turning around, he closed his eyes and focused, creating a portal. He entered into a dark room, located at the bottom of the Sanctum. He walked down the steps and saw Hobgoblin imprisoned in the magic cell.

Ned stopped in his tracks as his eyes turned dark.

"We need to talk."

Taglist:

@tenmaabnesti

@diysyfhcjtssuiteryyxhcft

[ladykailitha]

In the Midnight Hour Part 1

A little vampire Eddie for your enjoyment! Not actually sure where this one is going to go to be honest. This is just a way for me to play with Uncle Wayne, honestly.

*

Steve was lying in bed waiting for the inevitable. It always came around midnight like some diabolical clock.

He looked over at his alarm and watched it flip over to 12:00am. And there it was: the fluttering of wings and a tapping on his window.

He sighed and got up. He padded over to the window and opened it up.

“Back again, Munson?” Steve said dryly.

“Steve!” Eddie said throwing open his arms in greeting. “Miss me?”

Steve leaned out the window to see Eddie standing on the roof, like it was the top of his van. Happy and carefree.

He knew that he should just close the window and go back to his nightmares, but an alive, happy Eddie was too much of a draw, even if he was a hallucination.

“You know I do,” he murmured.

“So why don’t you let me in, big boy?” Eddie said leaning close to Steve.

Steve scoffed. “I know Vecna thinks I’m a dumb jock or whatever, but even I’ve seen vampire movies. You can’t come in unless I invite you and that’s not going to happen, sweetheart.”

Eddie cocked his head and grinned. “What makes you think I’m vampire, Stevie?”

“You mean other than the having to invite you in thing?” Steve asked with a huff of laughter. Eddie nodded. “Your bat wings, your sharp canine teeth, your ability to get up to my window without climbing...do I need to go on?”

Eddie’s grin grew darker, more feral. “Well, will you look at that, Stevie has seen a vampire movie or two.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Girls dig vampires and if it’s scary enough, it leads to some really great cuddling.”

“Ooh, the patented Harrington moves,” Eddie crowed. “Would love to see those in action.”

Steve scoffed again. “You would if you were real, but you’re not.”

Eddie’s wings lifted him aloft and he fluttered close to Steve’s face. “And what if I was real, what would you do then?”

“I’d probably kiss you,” Steve admitted. “But we both know you’re some nightmare Venca has sent to drive me crazy with grief so everyone else becomes easier pickings.”

Eddie frowned.

Steve shrugged. “Which won’t work by the way.”

Eddie landed back on the roof and sat down cross-legged. “And why not?”

“I’m a pragmatist. There wasn’t anything I could have said or done that would have changed the outcome of that fight,” Steve murmured. “Everyone likes to think that if they just could have done something different maybe you would have survived...” he lowered his head. “Because if my telling you not be a hero and you deciding to be one away...”

Eddie gulped. The implication that if Eddie had felt the same for Steve the way he had kept saying he did, then Eddie would have taken Steve’s feelings into consideration and figured out a way to save both him and Dustin.

Steve cleared his throat and straightened up. “I have to look at things logically otherwise I’ll break. And with Vecna still out there, I can’t.”

“That’s going to crush you one day,” Eddie said softly.

Steve laughed. It was so cold and bitter it made Eddie flinch. “I don’t think I’m going to survive beating your boss. Because I will. I will make sure he’s dead and never coming back.” Steve’s fists clenched. “And he can take the entire upside down with him, the rat bastard.”

Eddie’s answering laugh was cold. “And how do you plan to do that, pretty boy?”

“How would I know?” Steve said with wryly grin. “I’m not the planner, I’m tank you put in front of the oncoming forces.” Steve waved his hand, shooing Eddie. “So go. Run along back to Vecna. Tell him he can’t break me.”

He closed the window and went back to bed, leaving a stunned Eddie on the roof, alone.

*

Back at his...he looked around at the strange mess of clutter and detritus...lair? He guessed that was as good a term as any. Back at his lair, he kicked himself.

He really felt like he was getting somewhere with Steve this time, only to be shut out.

Again.

Of course it didn’t help that Steve still thought he was sent by Vecna to torment him. Which was fair. Just not true. Did Veckie know Eddie was there at Steve’s house every night? Sure. But he didn’t seem to care.  

He didn’t know if Veckie was busy with whatever the geniuses were planning or if he firmly believed that Eddie wouldn’t do anything to betray him.

Which, fuck Veckie for that if it was true. Because Eddie would rip his head off if thought it would help his friends. But he knew it wouldn’t. Plus. Let that ‘rat bastard’ think bringing Eddie back to life was a hindrance for the party.

Not that anyone but Steve knew he was alive.

“You’re pathetic,” a voice sneered from behind him.

“Veckie!” Eddie greeted with a grin. “Or do you prefer Henry?”

The fleshy nightmare before him snarled. “You think your puny attempts to seduce Steve Harrington will save you from me?”

Eddie raised an eyebrow. He dramatically placed his hand over his heart. “You think I’m flirting with Steve?” He began to laugh. “I’m overly chivalrous with everyone, dude.”

“I can see through your eyes,” Vecna said, his voice drippingly sweet. “You almost kissed him tonight, but my little coward chickened out, like he always does.”

Eddie scoffed. “Look, Veckie. I don’t care what you think you saw, but I don’t chicken out, not anymore.”

Vecna’s laughter filled the air. “Not even when he offered to kiss you?”

Eddie frowned. When had Steve offered to kiss him? He thought hard for a moment.

Oh.

And then he really started laughing. “Oh god!” He wiped a tear from his eye. “He did! I’m sorry I was too focused on the pragmatism to think about a kiss.”

Vecna scowled.  

“I don’t visit him because I have a crush,” Eddie continued, grinning from ear to ear. “I know I keep him up at night, and a tired man makes mistakes. You just run along and let me work.” He patted Vecna on the chest and flopped on his bed, throwing out wings to make the landing soft and airy.

“Just let me know when you figure how to stop being beaten by little kids, yeah?” Eddie said, calling over his shoulder as her curled up into a little ball, his wings creating a blanket around him.

Behind him Vecna snarled and the pressure from his presence was gone.

Eddie sighed with relief. He knew Vecna could see through his eyes. But he didn’t always. He often chose to because he thought Eddie could get Steve to talk. So if Veckie wanted a sneaky-peak Eddie was going to be annoying about it.

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12  Part 13

[madaboutmunson]

Again - Part 18

Part 1 | Part 17 | Part 19 | Full list of Again series links inc AO3 Link

Steddie fic where Steve and Eddie are in their mid 30's and everyone has sort of drifted apart

Notes: Sorry this one is a little late in posting. I had a bit of a strange birthday and got a bit down about it.

Taglist: @adaed5 @grtwdsmwhr @swimmingbirdrunningrock @mightbeasleep, @jewellthebooknerd, @fentiibratzz @rvllybllply2014

================================================

Steve raises his fist to knock, and the last time he remembers being this nervous here was the first time his kids were on his side of the door.

He looks down at the phone clutched tightly in his hand, the screen displaying Eddie's message.

Whatever happens, we'll figure something out. ILY x

He hears a singular bark and a rush of feet toward the door. Then, finally, it swings open, and he's greeted by the beaming smile of Val, but Steve notes he looks a little tired around the eyes.

"Steven!!" He enthuses loudly, grabbing his shoulders and kissing each side of his face, just before he is almost pushed out of the way by a very excitable Beans. Steve ruffles the fur on her head, and she circles his legs until she's perfectly at his heel as Val waves him into the house. 

Steve's stomach swirls with worry as he sits at the kitchen table, and Beans must be able to tell because she rests her chin on his leg as he pets her head gently. Steve laughs awkwardly, "Thanks for letting me come over. I know you're both gonna be so busy with everything now. I just wanted to speak to you both while the kids were at school" His voice drops to a whisper, "Speaking of which...Did you tell the kids yet?"

Val nods in response, "Oh yes, Jenny reminded me that you are almost as bad at keeping delicious secrets as I am. They also had The Talk again," Val adds, "Plus a little extra about it being early. Thought I'd let you know in case you get any questions fired your way about it.”

“Right, got it” Steve nods as Val hands him a very uncharacteristic mug of hot chocolate. Steve’s eyes move to his in question.

“For your nerves, Steven,” Val says fondly, sits opposite and looks from side to side before leaning over the table and dropping his voice to a whisper. “Don’t worry. Your Valentino has been putting in the groundwork for you.” He makes a sure upside-down smile expression on his face, “We’ve got this covered. It only occurred to me the other day that, in some ways, you and I are similar, and I thought maybe Jenny and Eddie might have similarities too. Common ground, even if it is just caring fiercely about you?”

Steve’s stomach swirling turns to a full-blown spin cycle, “Oh Christ, Val. I didn't even think about that. This is going to be so bad.” Steve whimpers quietly.

Valentino tuts and amps up his accent. “No, Steven. Listen to Valentino. It’s going to be ok. She doesn't want to ruin anything for you.”

“Oh no, it’s not that, Val. You don’t understand. You’ve met a much mellower Jenny for the most part” Steve checks over his shoulder and leans in again, “Remember that time Penelope Hasselbank’s mom insulted Corey’s finger painting? Said it looked like a brown blob because he mixed all his paints together?”

Val’s eyes widen as he leans back in his chair, twists the kitchen towel over his shoulder between his fingers, and says quietly in horror, “And then she laughed at it….”

“And then she laughed, Val. For months later, that woman had to continually replace tires because a ‘Masked youth’ kept slashing them, then had to change her cell number because she was getting calls from people asking for a ‘good time’ and to this day, she always looks like she sparkles because of how many times she got glitter bombed at least once a week, at home, at work, on holiday. Remember that?” Steve raises a finger on his hand at Val before submitting the one next to it, “Now times that by two, and put it in the same room.”

“Il mio dio e lo spirito santo” Val says, crossing himself.

“Precisely! Though I trust whatever you’ve done will have helped,” Steve says with as much of a smile as he can muster.

Footsteps approach the kitchen. “Where is he?” Val whispers quickly.

“I’ve hidden him in the back seat of the car,” Steve says, trying not to laugh, but Val's booming laugh makes him completely lose it into a fit of giggles, probably mostly charged by nervous energy.

“And just what are you two laughing about?” Jenny says with a smile leaning in the doorway.

“Nothing!” They reply in unison, and Jenny blows a raspberry.

“Zero out of ten guys. Your worst performance yet.” She sits, and Val brings over her tea, “So Steve, let's hear it.” Val reaches over and taps Steve’s hand in support. 

“Well, as I told you on the phone, things are moving quite quickly between Eddie and me. And I was talking to him the other day about him moving in, but he said he wanted to make sure you and the kids were ok with it first, you know?” Steve manages to look between the table and Jenny, and Val gives him an ok sign of support.

Jenny steeples her fingers and leans forward a little, “Ok.”

“Ok?” Steve asks in surprise.

“Look, I trust you wouldn't put our kids in danger, not for anyone, even if you have clearly gone a little crazy over this guy. I am well aware of how quickly you move, Steve. The kids. I can’t speak for but as far as I’m concerned, ok. On a few conditions though, Steve,” She warns, and Steve gives her his hopeful undivided attention, “If he’s free, and he should make time to be if he’s serious, he attends the dinners, birthday parties, events, whatever. I don't want this guy to be someone I see once and then he changes where I can’t see. He’s in with us, or he’s out, got it?” Steve nods. “He does not ever try to muscle his way in with parenting our kids. Val has coped just fine without treading on your toes. I expect the same from Eddie. I imagine this one goes without saying, but he does not upset our Kids.” Steve shakes his head, “And last of all, he stops hiding in the back seat of your car and gets in here, so I can make my final evaluation.” She says, leaning back in her chair.

Steve and Val exchange a look, and Steve gets out of his seat and scrambles to retrieve Eddie from the car.

Steve can see him lying across the backseat, happily playing that snake game on his phone. Not a care in the world. He gently taps on the window, and Eddie jumps to a sitting position and opens the door.

“Yeah?” He says, looking at Steve with a great big smile.

“Almost,” Steve answers, takes his hand, assists him to his feet, and shuts the car door.

Eddie pulls uncomfortably at the collar of his shirt, “Well, I never thought I’d hear myself say this, Steve. But let's go charm the pants off your ex-wife.”

As they enter the kitchen, Val greets them with a warm smile and pulls out a chair for Eddie, who sits, and Steve can see his hand twitch forward for a handshake, and then he retreats, and it looks as if Jenny and Eddie are assessing one another via silent communication and occasional side-eye. Val and Steve’s eyes ping pong between the two like they are watching tennis.

“Hmmm,” She says, finally, “You swear you won’t, right?” She asks

“Absolutely not! Never again,” Eddie exclaims.

“I’m serious, buddy,” Jenny warns.

“Yeah, well, surprise, me too, actually,” Eddie fires back, gesturing at his clothes and the room. There is an exchange of nods, like two strangers acknowledging another of their own kind.

"Job?"

"My own business. Reading, gaming, music for kids."

"You drink?" She asks

"Not especially. Beers are nice on a hot day, something stronger on a hot date" The corner of Eddie's mouth twitches up for a second.

"Drugs?" She asks, and Steve can feel the sweat forming in his palms.

"Mostly for my nightmares or really shitty days, but never if I'm driving," Eddie says. "And only green. I don't play around with anything else," Eddie says, waving a hand in front of him.

"Kids?"

"Godson," Eddie beams.

"Exes?" She asks, eyeing him carefully.

"Lots, but…er…no ties, all the paperwork is done. I couldn't give them what I'd given to someone else," Eddies says, rubbing his arm awkwardly. Val grips hold of Steve's hand, and as he turns to him, he can see Val's bottom lip quiver. He looks back at Eddie and Jenny quickly before Val starts him off too.

"On the back of that answer, I feel like I need to ask…."

"Negative." Eddie interrupts quickly.

"You got any questions?"

"How long?"

"Did he-" Jenny starts to send a frown towards Steve, but Eddie shakes his head in a no. "A few weeks. Nearly a month." Jenny smiles hugely down at her tummy and runs her hand over it.

"You tried ginger?" Eddie asks gently. Jenny shakes her head. "I don't mean this ask a bribe, but er, after this is over, I can make you the tea my mama taught me."

“Did he ask you to wear this?” Jenny smiles at Eddie.

“Yes!” Eddie complains, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt and finally relaxing in his seat.

“Ah, that explains it” She gestures a hand in a circle over Eddie, “Because this is not what I envisioned. Not to get Steve’s attention anyway,” she laughs.

Eddie leans forward, resting his chin on his fist toward her with a smirk, “Do tell me more about what get’s Steve’s attention. I wish to wield as much power as I can”, he jokes.

“Do you know about the….” Jenny says as she leans over to whisper something to Eddie.

“HEY!” Steve shouts and points a finger at them both, “No, not this. No way. Switch seats immediately!”

“Oh, like you and Tino haven’t been doing this for years.” Eddie gestures at Val. Causing Val to sit a little straighter in his chair as he runs his hands over his slicked-back hair, and Steve nudges at him.

“Ok, easy there, tiger,” Jenny says, laughing at Val’s reaction, before turning back to Eddie, “You know what? It's nice to have an even playing field for once in this house. You’re ok by me so far, Eddie” She smiles. “Welcome to the madness.” She extends her hand across the table, and Eddie shakes it enthusiastically. “Good luck with the kids. They are brutal.”

“You know I might just keep my win for the day and get grilled by those tiny tyrants another day”, Eddie smiles at Jenny, who mirrors it back.

Val kicks Steve under the table, wiggles his eyebrows and mouths “Cute” at him. Steve's instinct is to rush out of his seat and spin Eddie around the kitchen, and he almost does, but he falters and looks back to Val, who smiles reassuringly and nods. Steve isn't really waiting for permission, it's more like he doesn't want to throw something in Jenny's face if it might upset her in some way, but at Val's nod, he's pulling Eddie out of his chair, he's squeezing his face in his hands and pressing their foreheads together. For a moment, all Steve can do is sigh and look at his love. Another easy hurdle. Done. One left, Steve thinks. He can't believe how close he is to dreams becoming a reality again. Maybe's are yes's. Impossible things are possible. As Eddie blinks back at him, unable to speak because his face is still being squeezed, Steve can't help himself, and he kisses him. Just a small chaste one. He didn't want to overdo it. A small sob from the table breaks it off fairly quickly, and Steve turns back to see Val dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief and Jenny consoling him.

"And I'm the hormonal one right now." She laughs, smiling at Eddie and Steve.

"Jennifer! I cannot help it. My heart is overflowing, with romance, with love. It is too much to keep inside. And it's Steven. You know how much I love my Steven!" Val protests through sniffles. "Do you know where my other handkerchief is, my love? This one is done for." Val wipes his eyes and blows his nose loudly as Jenny rolls her eyes and leaves the kitchen.

Steve feels Eddie press closer to him, and his arms squeeze around Steve a little tighter at Val's words. Steve looks amused at Eddie's actions, and Eddie shrugs and laughs a little embarrassed, "Sorry?" he whispers and sneaks his hand into Steve's back pocket, and in return, Steve runs his fingers down Eddie's spine.

"This is my first meeting with your family, babe. Let me at least keep some cool around them," Eddie says quietly out of the corner of his mouth, and just as he finishes the last word to Steve, his face is grabbed by someone else. Val's strong tan hands hold Eddie's face and pinch his cheeks. Steve can tell Eddie is trying to remain composed but is probably internally screaming, and if it had been anyone else, Steve probably would have stepped in to save him, but it was Val, and really, Eddie was just going to have to get used to it. Which, ultimately, he surely would, as they were just as space invasive as one another.

"Look at you, uh? You take good care of my Steven now. He's very special to me." Steve looks at them both, and though Eddie is the essence of cool on the outside, Steve can feel the tension in his arm. "Having said that, he didn't make it tough for me, so I won't make it tough for you here." Valentino flashes his huge pearly white smile, but then something happens that Steve hasn't seen before. He laughs and shakes his head before fixing Eddie with a look, "Unless you make me. Capisce?" Eddie nods, and Steve can see Eddie analysing Val's face, and he lets him and leans in to say quietly as he twists the gold ring on his pinky finger, "My cousin Frankie owns a lotta bars in Chi-town, Eddie. Said you are one hell of a guitar player." Eddie gulps, and Steve feels the nervousness spread to him. He isn't sure how much Val appeared to know, but Steve hadn't told him about Eddie's past. Then Val's eyes flick up to Steve's, and he gives him a fond smile, "But if it's right by Steven, it's right by me." And with that, he turns back to Eddie, grabs him by the shoulders and kisses him on each cheek, "Welcome to the family, Eddie," he says, tapping his face playfully.

"I got you this one, hon-" Jenny says as she re-enters the room. "Now, what are you boys up to?" She says with a laugh, and Val rushes over and scoops her into his arms and plants kisses all over her face until she's pushing him away.

Eddie turns to Steve and whispers, "I think, they might be just as crazy as us, babe"  Steve thinks back to how quickly things happened between Val and Jenny and smiles hugely. If they felt the way he did about Eddie, he was so happy he didn't make any of it a problem for them, and maybe that's why they were being so open to the situation now, because they understood it, in a way. Steve thanks the ceiling again for blessing him with such luck.

"Yeah, I think they might just be," He says before kissing Eddie on the forehead.

They sit back at the table, some small talk is passed around, and Steve moves his chair right next to Eddie's. Eddie reaches for his hand under the table, and though maintaining the outward appearance of cool, calm, and collected, he can feel how excited he is about all of this as the grip on his hand pulses with tight squeezes. Steve leaves it that way for a little while, and once the squeezes are a little softer, he puts their joined hands on the table. Eddie glances bashfully out of the corner of his eye at him, and Jenny gives him a smile and nod, but then suddenly, her face changes, and she speed walks out of the room. Val chases after her.

"Was she like this with the other two?" Eddie asks, a little concerned, as Steve almost follows her, getting out of his seat, but Val waves him down kindly and runs after her.

"A little, just on a few mornings, but they both look pretty tired. I don't think it's like before," Steve says, deeply concerned.

"Listen, it might not work, but I was pretty anxious when I was a kid, and nausea was ruining my tiny little life. My mom used to fix me this ginger drink. I made it for Alice a few times too. It seemed to work then. So if it's ok, and you know where everything is, we could make her some. Or I can make it, and you could, uh, write it down?" Steve tears his eyes from the doorway to Eddie, and although he didn't think it possible five minutes ago, his whole being is filled with even more love for his man. He almost gets lost looking at him. He was so perfect. The noise from the bathroom brings Steve back to Earth, and he helps Eddie find the ingredients and grabs some notepaper and a pen.

Eddie makes two things, one in a pot simmering on the stove, another he employs a cocktail shaker and some crushed ice for, and splits it into four glasses topping up with soda water and sets them on the table.

Steve holds the jug and sieve whilst Eddie pours in the ginger honey, lemon and mint tea from the huge pot, and he can't help himself, "Where did they make you?" He asks softly.

Eddie looks more intensely at the jug, and a sweet shy smile creeps over his face, "If most people were to be believed by the devil himself," he says in his best Walter Cronkite voice and laughs.

"Yeah, if only they could see you now, going out of your way to help someone you've known for less than an hour," Steve says dreamily before he accidentally says aloud, "I can't believe I get to call you mine," and immediately shuts up.

Eddie freezes, and a huge smile spreads across his face as he tries to hold back a laugh, “Did you mean to say that out loud, babe?”

Steve concentrates fiercely on the jug and sieve, "Well…I meant it, but maybe it was supposed to fall out of my mouth like that." He grimaces awkwardly.

Eddie puts the pot down, takes the sieve away from him, dumps its contents, and puts the lid on the jug to cool on the counter before returning to Steve, who is busying himself with the things in the sink. Soon he feels Eddie's hand cradling his jaw and turns his head to face him. Eddie looks deeply into his eyes and says gently, "I don't mind you getting a little shy sometimes, it's actually kinda cute, but we spoke about this. You can tell me anything ok, you don't need to be worried. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere unless you ask me to. Even if you say the dorkiest things imaginable, I'll still love you" He smiles and pecks a kiss at Steve's lips, "Maybe even especially when you say the dorkiest things" He chuckles, "I'm not gonna fight you on it, but I feel lucky too. How many people get to go back to rekindle a first true love and find it's even better than they imagined? I don't know any, do you?" Eddie asks, kissing his cheek, and Steve shakes his head, words altogether leaving him again as he gazes at Eddie lazily. “We’re gonna make it. We are making it happen, and honestly, I can’t believe our luck. Your family is just so great. They really care about you. I really care about you. I love you,” he says, poking Steve in the chest before smoothing over it with his hand, “So stop worrying!” he says, widening his eyes and waiting for a nod of confirmation from Steve, which of course, he obliges with.

"Sorry about that, guys. The sickness is pretty awful this time. I'm hoping it's temporary," Jenny apologises as Val helps her to her seat, "Is this the drink?" Steve can hear that innocent, hopeful tone in her voice, and he figures it really must be bad.

Eddie bustles around and shows them the jar in the fridge by opening it for a second, “In here is the tea, and in front of you is just a sort of mixer, cooler thing. Pretty much the same ingredients, just much quicker to make.” There is a sort of pause as they all migrate towards the table. Eddie looks a little nervous, so Steve picks up his drink and takes a big gulp. It wasn't the greatest thing he’d ever tasted in his life, but honestly, Eddie could make him a million weird drinks, and he’d at least try every single one. Val follows Steve's lead.

"Well, that packs quite a punch, Eddie," Val says with a big smile, "Let's take a look at Steven's list here" Val takes a look over the instructions, "Looks safe to me, mia cara. Wanna check?" Eddie fidgets with his rings, and the way his mouth twitches, Steve can tell he is dying to say something.

"You know Eddie made this for his housemate who was pregnant. She had a healthy baby, right?" Steve takes over, and Eddie nods with a smile and stops fidgeting, "Also, Eddie here drank it a lot as a kid, right, honey?" Steve reaches for Eddie's hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah, that's right. I mean, maybe don't sell it on how I turned out, but I got this far, so" Eddie laughs and takes a drink, and Jenny looks between the three of them. "Take no notice of these guys if you don't feel safe drinking it. I understand you've only just met me, so zero offence taken." Eddie sends her a warm smile across the table. 

"Honestly, I'm desperate for some help," She replies, looking longingly at the glass, "Sleep is like rocking horse shit. But, you know, I’ll check with the doctor. I’m sure it's fine. I just," She glances over at Val, “I don’t wanna take any chances.” Val scoops up her hands in his own and kisses each one, her eyelids droop a little, and she lets out a small yawn.

Steve takes that as an indicator to leave, he even offers to have the kids a few days earlier, but Jenny declines, not wanting the new baby to cause changes so early when she promised it wouldn’t. So they make their new affectionate goodbyes and head home.

As they drive back, Steve notices Eddie fidgeting with his rings again, “Everything ok, honey?” Steve asks and puts his hand on his knee.

“Yeah, really good,” Eddie replies, and Steve relaxes hearing the grin in his voice, “Just, uh, this kinda lame,” he huffs out a laugh, “I’m just, um, excited, you know? About all this, and it's weird.” 

“Like, weird, how exactly?” Steve asks, mostly amused with a garnish of worry.

He feels Eddie’s hand cover his, “I just am finding it a little strange, to, um, be looking forward to things, to have hope and life not kick me in the nuts for once. Told you it was lame.” He punctuates it with an adorable dorky little snort.

“What did I tell you that first night? No more struggling. You get everything you want because I’m gonna do whatever I can to make it happen, ok?” He wiggles his fingers so they slot between Eddie’s a little. “I know we’ve still got the kids to go, but I think it's gonna be fine. They already like you, so worst-case scenario, I have to not have you in my bed every night for a week. Which, ok, already sounds like hell on earth,” Steve hears Eddie chuckle, “but it would only be overnight, and I could always make up for it the week after, maybe?” Steve inquires suggestively.

“Well, I guess that doesn’t sound too bad” Eddie flexes his fingers so they grip Steve’s hand. “You know, the only thing I really want,” Steve feels Eddie fidget with their hands for a moment before he feels the warm metal slip over his finger, “Is to be yours and stay that way. Forever. No matter what.” Eddie sighs, and he feels the ring on his finger get removed and replaced with another. “I don't much like religion, honestly, but all those things they list, richer, poorer, in sickness or in health, for better or worse, to love until death tears us apart. That’s what I want.” 

“Then that's what you’ll have, my love,” Steve says gently and continues to let Eddie test his rings on him, “But I mean, if death tears us apart, you best believe I’m gonna haunt you. I’m gonna haunt you so hard, and if you meet someone else, I will terrorise them.” Eddie laughs a little too hard for Steve’s liking. “You think I wouldn't? You think that I would just watch it happen. Hell no! Once I’m dead, Eddie, I don't have to be a good person anymore. I can act exactly as I would like, and scaring the shit out of all your future potential love interests would be not only the top of my list, it might be the entire list, except for maybe checking in on the kids.” Eddie is still laughing.

“Oh, I wasn’t laughing at that. I was laughing because you think someone would still be here to haunt. You think that at your funeral, I wouldn’t dramatically throw myself down there with you? You’re crazy!” Eddie chuckles and removes the ring from Steve’s hand.

The next few days are spent in various love nests around the house, making plans, designing a studio for Eddie, marking out the road trip plan for next year, watching movies, dancing, play fighting, eating supper by candlelight, star gazing on inflatables in the pool after eating some of the special brownies Eddie made. Steve feels like Eddie has weaved his magic and encapsulated their home in a great big bubble of love.

Sunday arrives, and they spend the morning transferring all of Eddie’s things back into the RV. Which initially starts out as a team effort until Eddie picks up his acoustic guitar and decides to follow Steve around, serenading him with Happy Together by The Turtles, With A Girl(Guy) Like You by The Troggs, Oh, Pretty Woman(Steven) by Roy Orbison, and Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen, whilst Steve does the transfer of things. Suddenly most of Steve’s neighbours have front lawn or driveway projects to do, though he notices not a lawn mower to be heard, just Eddie’s voice and guitar ringing out down the street. Sure, Steve should be a little annoyed that he was doing all the sad, hard work and maybe even a little embarrassed about the attention of the street, but Eddie’s theatrics had won him over on the first strum. He knows he’s lost so many memories, but he will never forget this. Steve wonders how many more memories they’ll make together, and his heart blossoms with possibilities. Memories with their big extended family, memories with the kids, and things that they might tell their grandkids about.

It makes the day a little bittersweet. 

Eddie had thought he’d take the chance to go back and check in on Wayne. Unfortunately, Jack had taken a turn for the worse. He was declining rapidly and was being moved to a care home by his kids. Wayne contemplated going with Jack but didn't want to admit defeat. By giving up their home, he felt he was giving up a place for them to return to, so he was travelling to and from the place every day, and Eddie suspected he was just gonna tucker himself out.

Their goodbye takes much longer than either of them intended. Steve tries to savour every feature, look, touch, and sound he can absorb from Eddie. He wanted them embossed into his brain and skin, so he would never be without them.

They part ways at the end of the driveway, and Steve heads to pick up the kids and Beans to bring them home.

On arrival, he gets a massive hug from Jenny, which was destined for Eddie because his ginger tea drink works like a charm, but as he isn't here, Steve agrees he will happily pass it on for her. The kids bundle into the car, shoving their new schedules at Steve as they pass. For most of the journey home, the kids appear to be in their respective headphone universes, but occasionally he’d hear whispering, but every time he glances in the mirror, they go back to looking out of their windows. Something suspicious was afoot, and Steve would get to the bottom of it one way or another.

“What are you two plotting back there?” Steve says, looking in the mirror and narrowing his eyes at them.

“Plotting? Us? Together? NEVER!” Corey says with a laugh.

“Oh please, I can hear you whispering!” he tries again, looking at Zee for a second.

“Look, you’ll see, ok? OW! Corey!” Zee exclaims.

“Don’t blow it for us! Make him wait a little. He can sweat about the unknown for a bit,” Corey says seriously, and Steve has to swallow a laugh.

“Fine, be like that!” Steve says with pure mischief running through his veins, and he turns up the car stereo as loud as it will go before distortion, winds down the window and starts singing along loudly, which just happens to be Sisqo’s Thong Song. He doesn’t know most of the lyrics, but he makes up some of his own and sings even louder in the bits he knows.

The kids start to complain and protest, but Steve cups his hand to his ear and shakes his head, “WHATS THAT? NO, SORRY, CANT HEAR YOU. WAIT UNTIL WE GET HOME, YEAH?!” and then continues to sing along with whatever he can until they get home.

As they pull up onto the drive, the kids and Beans rush for the door, but Steve can see something wrapped around the knocker on the front door.

Zee turns to him, confused, and holds the tag attached, “It’s for you, Dad.”

Steve makes his way over, arms laden with bags, but when he gets there, Zee nudges Corey, and they take them from him. He lifts the gift tag attached to the red ribbon and reads it. 

I’m sorry I had to go. I hope this makes sure you won't forget me. E x

P.S. Hold on tight

Steve pulls the tag and ribbon from the door knocker, steps in front of the kids to open the door, and gasps audibly.

There are heart balloons on the ceiling, all different colours and sizes, each with a ribbon floating all the way to the floor, with a red rose attached to the bottom. Beans completely forgets her routine and begins sniffing a trail between each one. There are fifteen in total. Steve rushes to the kitchen to put them in a vase but walks in to find it is already occupied by a colossal rainbow bouquet. Around its base, tied in a neckerchief knot, is Eddie’s favourite bandana. 

“What is wrong with this guy?” Corey laughs, helping to collect some of the ones around the TV area.

“I think it's kinda sweet, right, Dad?” Zee asks, collecting the ones near the stairs.

Steve is busy, carefully folding up the threadbare black and white bandana into a pocket square that he puts in his blazer pocket, “I think you both are correct.” he manages to say, carefully swallowing down the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

“Say, Dad?” he hears Corey’s voice a lot nearer now, “Can we talk to you about all this?”

Steve feels the dread start to rise in him, this could be the beginning of an impossible decision, but he knew the answer would always be his children. They were his priority, even up against the love of his life. He tucks the bandana down, hiding it in his pocket out of sight and turns around with a big smile.

“Of course,” he says and turns to have two bundles of balloons thrust at him from his kids, which he gathers up and puts on the side.

They sit on one side of the table, steepling their fingers, looking at him intensely. Steve sits in a chair opposite them, feeling like he’s been called into the principal's office for something. They look at one another, and then Corey nods towards Steve, and as they turn back, Zee speaks.

“Sooooo, we’ve basically overheard Val and Mom talking, and we have some questions,” Zee says gently.

Steve tries not to, but he gulps along with his, “Ok, sure, ask anything you like.”

As the words leave his mouth, Corey pulls out a notebook and pencil, tears out the top page  and pushes it towards Zee. He is then laser-focused on Steve with his pencil poised. Steve looks between the two of them and wonders which one is the good cop and which is the bad cop.

“So, first of all. Whilst we haven't been here, Eddie has been living here, right?” Zee asks, and Steve replies with a nod. Corey begins scribbling something down, and Steve can't help but be distracted by it.

“And he’s been, what, staying in the guest room?” Zee asks, eyebrows raised, and Steve thinks about lying, but he shakes his head in a no, and the pencil scribbling starts up again. 

Steve quickly defends his actions, “But it’s not what you think. I’ve known Eddie a long time and-”

“Please, Dad, just answer the questions we give you. No need to elaborate unless asked, ok?” Zee interrupts him.

“So you and Eddie are in love, right?” Zee asks.

“Yes.” Steve answers, “But you see, if I could just explain, things like this don't normally happen this quickly, it's just that-”

“Are you hard of hearing? A simple yes or no is sufficient for our investigation, ok?!” Corey says in a new york accent as he hits the table, making Steve and Zee jump. Clearly, Corey is Bad Cop. 

“Well, let’s not get overly dramatic about it, Cor, geez. He’s already nervous!” Zee frowns and turns back to her paper. “Corey, I think the answer to this next one is obvious. It feels a little redundant to ask.”

“Could you just stick to the plan for once, please?! The answer may be obvious, but his micro-expressions might give away something else.” Corey complains.

“Fine!” Zee rolls her eyes and focuses back on Steve, “Are you serious about one another? For example, this is not just some kind of whirlwind romance thing?”

Steve folds his arms, and Corey’s pencil scratches away, so he quickly unfolds them again, “Er, yeah, very serious. Write that down.” Steve replies pointing at Corey’s pad.

“Cor, this one is stupid. It's been a week. They haven't got this far.” Zee complains with a sigh, but Corey ignores her, so she reluctantly reads it out, “Do you intend to marry him?” Steve pulls a face like the answer is obvious, and Zee smiles smugly, “See?!”

“Yes, I do.” Steve answers, and Zee’s jaw drops.

“What did I tell you?! I knew it! This is crazy, so fucking crazy,” Corey says, vindicated.

“Hey, you’ll watch your language, young man!” Steve interjects, pointing at Corey firmly.

“Sorry,” Corey says a little sheepishly.

“Ok, well, I’m assuming you want him to move in then?” Zee says with a tone and look of disbelief.

Steve sighs, leans over, and takes one of their hands in his own, “Listen, I like Eddie. Yeah, I love him. I’d love to have him live here, but not without your blessing.” Steve says genuinely, looking at them both compassionately. “There are plenty of other arrangements we could come to. Eddie was the person that actually brought it up. He didn't want to do anything that made you guys or your Mom uncomfortable. He knows he’s new to you all. He’s not gonna just waltz in here and take over your lives or home, ok? You are my priority. Always.” Steve gives their hands a squeeze.

Corey tilts his head to the side, “That's great to know, Dad, but we are more than aware of how obsessed with us you are. Like, I mean, Eddie could be doing us a bit of favour, taking up some of that attention, honestly.” he lets out a little laugh. Steve half smiles with a frown.

“You aren’t worried about that?” Steve asks, looking between them.

“No,” Zee laughs, “Not at all. We just wanted to make sure you were keeping your heart safe. That’s all. We heard…well overheard, that he broke your heart before, and we talked about it and thought we’d just ask, you know?”

Steve shuts his eyes for a moment to stop the tears welling up. He hadn't accomplished a lot off his own back in this lifetime. He was mainly fortunate and managed to land on his feet. But as his two children sit before him, he can see his lifetime achievement right there. Two brilliant, sassy, funny, talented, confident, thoughtful kids and his heart could just burst. He clears his throat, hoping the lump developing in it will dissipate.

“That was a long time ago. We were young, and it was more complicated back then than it is now. Eddie-” Steve tries to defend.

“Eddie can answer for his crimes when we see him next!” Corey says in his new york cop voice again.

“What? He’s gotta go through this too?” Steve says in surprise.

“Oh yeah!” Zee laughs, “We’ve drawn up a roommate contract for him too.” 

[microwavedmetal]

Day 6: canon divergence rec list

a ghost never leaves a haunted house

bluebears

Mike looked at him unimpressed. “See you say that. You say that. But you never actually mean it.” He flung his hands out, gesturing at him. “You’re always making stupid promises that you can’t keep.”

Will gaped at him. This was ludicrous. “Name one promise that I haven’t kept!”

“You keep leaving!” Mike burst out. He practically shouted it. If the outburst took him by surprise, he didn’t show it. “Everytime I just get you back you end up leaving again. And it was fine at first, I guess. With the Upside Down and the MindFlayer. Like at least then we knew how to bring you back. But now there’s nothing taking you away but you still aren’t here. And I can’t figure out why. I’ve racked my brain trying to understand what’s going on with you but I just don’t get it! We’re supposed to be best friends but lately it’s only felt like that on my side of things.” ____

The Upside Down is gone. Or so everyone keeps telling him. But Will knows the truth. You can burn all the vines and close all the gates. But you can’t flush out a virus once it’s already been spread. After all, how do you kill something that’s intertwined with the very root of Hawkins without affecting the real world?

These feelings are not my own

Corvi_dae524

Will Byers has enough to deal with already. After returning to Hawkins, he has been getting flashes of what's happening in Vecna's mind too often for his liking. Not to mention everyone keeps their distance from him in case he goes all mind-flayer-super-spy again. Well, almost everyone. On second thought, maybe it would have been better if everyone did stay away.

Or, Will accidentally forges an emotional connection between Mike and himself, and he doesn't know how to deal with it

Don't bite your DM (unless he says yes)

Pennyplainknits

An argument arises over the damage potential of a human bite. Mike and Will settle it in a totally normal way

The Stars You Wrote Me

MrHalloween2

Mike Wheeler is a Star Trek fan.

He also happens to think that Kirk and Spock are soulmates, like many do, and secretly writes about his two favorite characters.

Will Byers, just looking for his coat in Mikes closet, is invested and also very in love.

Ready As I'll Ever Be

snow_bunn257

Turn the world upside down? Did he even have the power to do that? What could he really do? Make the world a better place? With the Upside Down? He had already remade the entire Upside Down in his hometown’s image. If the Upside Down actually leaked into Hawkins, could Will remake the whole town? Make it better? Could he finally make a world in which he could be happy? Those were delusions of a villain, weren’t they? Words injected into his brain by Henry. And yet…

That didn’t sound all too bad.

~~

My take on a Will Villain arc! I really think that the only way he'd switch sides is if convinced it was for the right reasons. Inspired by Ready As I'll Ever Be from Tangled The Series!

By His Side

careful_wish

“You guys saved me, Mike,” Will whispered. “You saved me. I’m okay.” He giggled – actually giggled – when Mike leaned over and kissed Will’s cheek, the smile on his face infectious. He then rested his forehead against Will’s, feeling Will shaking slightly, and thought his mouth would fall off his face from smiling so hard as Will whispered, “I like you too.” Mike hugged him fiercely now, Will letting out a louder laugh as he was knocked back to the floor. Mike moved so he wasn’t squishing Will, squeezing him tightly. “You’ll go to the Snow Ball with me?” he breathed in disbelief, burying his face in Will’s shoulder. He felt Will hugging him back just as tight, nodding. “Yes, Mike, I will,” Will mumbled. “I won’t leave your side all night.”

-

Mike doesn't think through asking Will to the Snow Ball, so when Will says yes...

broken hearts can always mend

sarol3

"The Road to Madness really wasn’t just a grayscale painting. It had colors scarcely hidden along the way - they were tiny patches in size, yet they felt bigger than life itself, the darkness making them even more vibrant as they called out to the eyes with their beauty. Their presence made the journey feel all the more sorrowful."

Or:

While growing up, Will is being visited by a tall, 15-year-old boy with dark hair and dark eyes, who looks just like his best friend, Mike if he were a little bit older. Will thinks he might be a ghost; he always disappears without a trace after all.

[creatorofuniverses]

Gt July Day 7 – Thief

Of course I had to come back to Stolen Hunt for this one. Rowan has some tales to tell, to be sure.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“So there I was, preparing for one of the riskiest heists of my life.

Don’t get me wrong- I had cased the house for weeks. The problem was that the woman who lived there was one of those ‘ladies of leisure’, which really just meant she never left the godsdamned house. Her husband seemed to be kept busy between his job and his mistress, but she was always home. People came to her.

Believe me, she had more money and riches than she knew what to do with. I was just trying to figure out a way to make that load a little lighter for her.

I decided to do something daring and unusual. Rather than burgle the place when it was empty – which it never was – I decided to sneak in when it was full. They were having some huge party, a ‘soiree’ if you will, with all of their rich hoity-toity friends milling about getting drunk and all their hired help busy placating drunk rich people. It was the perfect time to get in and out of the upstairs bedroom without anybody the wiser.

I waited until the party was in full swing before starting to climb up the back of the building. It was a large manor house, covered in ridiculous frills and embellishments, so making my way up to the second-story balcony leading to the master bedroom was easy as pie. Once there, I slipped through the door – people never do lock doors that are higher than the first floor, they truly believe they’re safe up there – and had the run of the place.

The room was massive, and ornate, I mean curtains and tapestries and doilies everywhere you looked- you name it, it was displayed in some gaudy fashion somewhere. But the décor was only gilded; I was there for a real score.

I made my way over to the lady of the house’s boudoir. Finding her jewelry box, I opened the lid and picked out a huge necklace, glimmering with precious stones-”

“Hold on!”

Rowan blinked at the interruption, needing to take a moment to come back to himself after being thoroughly immersed in his own tale. He leaned back to look up at the man who had interrupted him, swaying a bit where he sat on an upside-down shot glass. The man in question sat at the bar like normal, being huge and human to match the pub they were in, and set down a near-empty glass of ale as tall as Rowan was in order to squint blearily down at him. “How’d you lift a huge necklace like that, huh?” the human slurred, his brow furrowed over eyes a bit glassy from the drink. “You can barely lift a shot glass.”

“Not barely, I can lift a shot glass,” Rowan corrected. To further make his point, he heaved up the shot glass in front of him, still mostly full of ale, and took a swig. It coated his throat on the way down, and his voice was a bit thick as he added, “And it wouldn’t look like a huge necklace to you, this all happened back…” The word “home” died on his tongue, but the alcohol gave it a swift burial. “…where I used to live. Where people are more normal-sized.”

The man nodded a bit, slowly, and with a great deal of lingering confusion. “Li’l. Like you.”

“Normal,” Rowan corrected, taking another swig, though not without some effort. The shot glass was stupidly oversized. “Like me.”

His fellow drunk just laughed, a rumbling sound that Rowan could feel through his chest despite being nearly a foot away. “Still some pretty big bragging for a li’l guy. You got any proof?”

“Do I have any-?” Rowan sputtered. He set down the shot glass and fumbled for his backpack, more defensive than he thought he might be normally. Chalk it up to giants always thinking less of him. “Of course I have proof! I still have the fucking necklace!” His hand dove unsteadily to the bottom of his bag and, after grasping a suitable handful of priceless jewelry, reemerged with spoils to show off. “How’s this for proof?” he declared, stretching out the necklace so it could be better appreciated.

It really was a fine piece. The jewels, each as big as Rowan’s thumb, glittered even in the low firelight of the pub. They were entwined and stacked upon each other in an overall excess of wealth, strung together with fine, gossamer silver threads. Threads that might actually be hard for a human to see, Rowan was now realizing, as his bar mate had closed the distance between them in order to squint at the relatively tiny necklace. His breath smelled like ale, but Rowan himself was thankfully a bit too drunk to care.

“Well I’ll be,” the human remarked, leaning back again and taking another swig. “You really are a first-rate li’l thief. Good thing you can’t steal anything from me!” He chuckled and patted the coin purse strapped to his belt. “Don’t think two silver would fit in that pack of yours.”

He might be right – Rowan thought maybe he could fit two silver and a copper, if the pack were empty, which it wasn’t – but Rowan didn’t let that bring down his spirits at all. He just shrugged as he buried the necklace at the bottom of his bag once more; a rainy-day fund that he wasn’t sure he would ever use, these days, but which he didn’t want to part with just in case. “That doesn’t matter,” he dismissed with a wave of one hand, closing his bag with the other. “My drinks are already paid for.” He leaned back, so far that he very nearly fell off his shot glass stool, to meet the eye of the bartender. “Right, Vale?”

Vale just chuckled. Rowan always did like making Vale laugh. “That’s right, Rowan. Em already paid for your tab, such as it is.” Meaning it was no more than a single shot’s worth of ale at the moment. Rowan was a pretty cheap date these days, for whoever was willing to cover him. The man Rowan had been talking to finished his pint of ale in one big swig, and Vale turned to him to ask, “Another round?” The man nodded and Vale took his empty glass so that he could refill it.

When he returned, Rowan held up his own shot glass of alcohol expectantly, only to have a large hand gently push it back down to the surface of the bar. “Oh no, not you,” Vale informed him with some amusement. “You’ve still got plenty, and if you even get close to finishing, you’re gonna be in real trouble. I know Em carries you upstairs every night regardless,” because she was huge and Rowan was not, “but I’ve still gotta cut you off somewhere.”

“Spoilsport,” Rowan muttered. Still, his heart wasn’t in it, and instead he just sipped his ale as he watched Vale start up a conversation with Rowan’s former audience.

If he really wanted more, he could always just steal some from the other drunk’s cup when nobody was looking. A thief had to stay in practice somehow, after all.

[deathsmallcaps]

My first whump fic, written out of curiosity. @kim-poce

Themes of despair, kidnapping, exposure to the elements, blood and cannibalism. This isn’t my usual fare and if you don’t like, don’t read!

Joey

Joey inched his way to the door, hands and feet bound but not all tied together. His knees and elbows bled and the rough floor scraped his skin away, but he couldn’t let this chance pass.

Usually, Regina kept him in the attic. During the winter, it had been so cold and drafty that he lost feeling in his extremities. She would come up with hot pans full of water, and of course, he would desperately reach for them, and try to warm up. She’d let him, and laugh when he started to feel the pain. Only after the winter had passed did she let him know that warming frozen body parts too fast killed cells.

Now it was summer, and he was still struggling to regain control and feeling in his fingers. Regina kept him well-hydrated, as the attic was sweltering, but the mind numbing boredom and constant sweat was driving him insane - at least when it was winter, he couldn’t really think past the cold.

But for some reason, today, she brought him out to her porch. Outside, he heard some sort of party, with glasses clinking and people laughing. If he could just get the attention of one person, Joey was sure he could be saved.

Finally, he bumped up against the door. Scooting around frantically, he turned so that his feet pressed against the non-hinge side of the door and kicked with all his might (which wasn’t very much. There’s only so much you can do in an attic.)

After a couple harrowing minutes, where he prayed to any god that would listen that Regina would not notice, the door pushed open. Ecstatic, Joey wiggled his way onto his feet, and stood up. Holding his breath in anticipation, he shouldered his way through the door - only to fall down the steps.

Regina, unfortunately, was the first to notice. She rushed over. “Oh, you poor dear!” She checked over him for any dire injuries, much to Joey’s displeasure.

An older man trundled forward. “Lively one, isn’t he!” He laughed.

A different woman approached with a wine glass. “Oh, he’s so cute. Regina, darling, would you please let me play with him a bit? He still has a bit of a spark left in his eye. Mine are so lovely, but they hardly put up a fight anymore!”

Regina, finding no fatal injuries or disruptions to his bindings, turned away from the dazed and bruised Joey.

“Chrissie, no! You wicked woman. You have two.” The three cackled, and the other people Joey could see in his hazy vision ignored the group altogether.

‘Oh my god’, thought Joey with despair. ‘They’re just like her.’

“Regina, let’s go back to the party for now. Lars is going to finish the long-pork chili soon, we can leave your victim on the stairs like that.” The man said.

“Lovely idea Charles! Let me just - “ Regina pulled out some handcuffs and cuffed Joey’s legs to stair rail. “There we go.” She leaned into the other two, as if she was sharing some fun secret. “I was thinking about bleeding him later. I figure this’ll help make all the blood is near his head. Less of a fight and a quicker stream.”

“Simply smashing idea, Regina,” said the man.

Chrissie grabbed Regina’s arms. “Indeed. We will simply have to compare notes later. But for now … “ she sniffed the air, “I think it’s time to eat!”

Laughing gaily, the trio walked away from the upside down Joey, leaving him to despair in solitude. ‘I’m never getting out of here.’