#James 1:14–15

[nathan-r-dooley]

🧩 The Hidden Weight

A Theological Treasure Hunt Riddle I promise freedom,yet tighten chains.I whisper pleasure,but leave behind pain.I wear a thousand faces,but hide just one name.I grow in the darkand die in the light.What am I? Why This Riddle Matters! This riddle isn’t just clever.It’s a confrontation. It holds up a mirror to our lives and asks:What am I letting grow in the dark?What whispers have I…

[walkswithmyfather]

1. When you need, God knows:

Philippians 4:19 (NIV). “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

2. When you ask, God listens:

Proverbs 15:29 (ESV). “The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”

3. When you believe, God works:

2 Kings 20:5 (NIV). “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you.”

4. When you thank, God gives more. Jesus gave thanks and fed the five thousand!

Matthew 14:17-21 (NIV). “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

5. Everything comes from God:

James 1:17 (AMP). “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes].”

6. And whatever you give, you'll get just as much back, if not more!

Luke 6:38 (CSB). “Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

We serve a good, loving and giving God! Amen! 🙏🕊️🙌

[disneynerdpumpkin]

~ Scriptures about forgiveness ~

Matthew 6:15 "But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Colossians 3:13 "Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."

Daniel 9:9 "To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him."

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Proverbs 10:12 "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses."

Micah 7:18 "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love."

Mark 11:25 "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

Luke 17:3-4 "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him."

Luke 6:37 "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:"

Matthew 6:14 "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:"

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Isaiah 1:8 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

James 5:16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

[madewithonerib]

Moby Dick: CH3 The Spouter Inn || Herman Melville

pg.1 The Oil Painting an Omen or the Myth the Legend

pg.2 Jonah Meets Death by 2-in-1 Bed Buddies

pg.3 Rare Steaks = Pagan Blood Lust vs. Drunk Christian Sailors?

pg.4 Objection: Sleep/Walk the Plank or Lock Queequeg Out?

pg.5 Funny Exchange Between Proprietor & Ishmael

pg.6 Needs More Reassurances for Personal Safety

pg.7 Snoops Around Queequeg’s Stuff Before He Arrives

pg.8 Stares at Queequeg & His Nighttime Idolatry

pg.9 Exchange Threats of Mutual Assured Destruction

pg.10 Determines Queequeg is the Salt of the Earth

P.S. I'll try not to cover the same topics as those above

Less Abstract Painting at the Spouter Inn

What Queequeg Used to Annoy & Terrorize Ismael with Smoke lol

[pastordin]

Godly Character Building Bible Reading Plan: Week 10

Godly Character Building Bible Reading Plan | Aamir and Carissa Din Home Bible Reading Plan Contact Godly Character Building Bible Reading Plan: Week 10 A Journey of Discipleship and Transformation Week 10: Obedience Welcome to Week 10 of our Godly Character Building Bible Reading Plan! This week, we will explore the vital virtue of obedience, an essential aspect of discipleship that…

[bojackson54]

Major Transgressions Require Major Repentance

People use the word “trans” today more than ever, but not really in the way it applies to ALL OF US… It’s a word we don’t even like to THINK about, much less apply to ourselves. In the dictionary, it’s “an act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct; an offense.” Yep, it’s transgressions–something we have all done– and the Bible reminds us in the words of King David that even royalty…

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

Nobody Cares. Period.

I said this to my daughter once.

That was a mistake, even though mostly true. Because I really did care, and I don't think she quite picked up that I wasn't talking about myself but of the World - "Out there".... However, even so, nobody else would have listened to either of us - her or me regarding her problem. That's why she was telling me about it, and I was helpless. It had to do with school, and interpersonal relationships, and I knew from experience that bullies don't care what others feel. It is completely beyond them - whether school administrators who were the problem, the garden variety playground bully who was the other problem, or corporate managers who were my most recent problems - nobody cares.

I think it might have been one of the things that damaged, broke even, our special father-daughter relationship - that failure to make clear that I didn't include myself among the 'nobody'.

Nevertheless, it's true. We live in a society where caring is institutionally useless, dangerous even. Nobody cares.

My family isn't rich or powerful. We don't give large amounts of money to prominent organizations or peddle influence to get friends and acquaintances into positions of wealth or power. We are nothing. We are representative of the nothings that have built pretty much everything that has defined every civilization since the dawn of man, while the credit has gone to our more powerful and connected superiors. Our Kings, Emperors, Caesars, and CEOs.

Nobody cares except God. He cares.

Scoff.

Feel free.

I believe in a God who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him would have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

People get bogged down in details - what does "believe" mean, what about people who don't know to "believe", etc…

All nonsense.

"…the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:37-40)

Also,

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)

Some scoff at the idea of an "invisible Church".

Fine.

Scoff.

God will know his own.

"Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them." (Romans 2:14-15)

And the rest?

Well, there's the river of fire, the lake of fire… There's other imagery that various Christians use, some Biblical, some from Dante, some images come from other sources. But at the end of the day those who did not, or do not care, their self-absorbed entitlement, their narcissism, will be all they have to cling to in whatever future there is.

I believe that because of Christ's work on the cross, the infusion of divinity into the human condition, these people will live for eternity in the tatters of their self importance. Others believe in a different outcome. It really doesn't matter. None of it is good.

None of it will be punitive, as in, a transgression of a moral law, but will be entirely based upon the orientation of an individual's heart (Deuteronomy 30:6).

Our role on earth is to care as Christ did, when no one else will.

That's what makes Christianity so radical.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27)

[suziegallagher]

A academic reflection of Dallas Willard's "Renovation of the Heart"

What book would you recommend? “That’s interesting, I’d like to know something about spirituality. Can you recommend something for me to read that would be helpful?” Introduction This essay is framed in the context of Christianity. Spirituality must be viewed from our own lived experience and our weltanschauung[1] and it would be disingenuous to not be authentically Christian and…

[touchofgoddotworld]

Off With The Chains! Master That Sin (Part 1) (237) - March 16 2024

Play on other Podcast Apps According to Romans chapter 8 verse 2 (AMPC), the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed the believer from the law of sin and of death. Jesus has set the believer free from the bondage of sin and the wages of it, being a spiritual death. Do you KNOW this promise of God, or is your conscience condemning you, continually…

[fandom]

Web Celebs

Celebs: now in digital!

Hatsune Miku +2

Grian -1

GoodTimesWithScar -1

EthosLab +10

Hbomberguy +67

PearlescentMoon +11

Daniel Howell +58

AmazingPhil +61

GeminiTay +30

Brennan Lee Mulligan -3

Matt Sturniolo

SmallishBeans +7

Chris Sturniolo

Mumbo Jumbo +6

James Somerton

Nick Sturniolo

Skizzleman +23

TangoTek -2

ImpulseSV +7

Zombiecleo +3

BdoubleO100 +3

Solidarity Gaming -10

TommyInnit -14

Inthelittlewood +1

Rendog +16

Ally Beardsley

Tubbo

Sam Reich +15

Philza -19

Cubfan135

Moo Deng

Docm77 -2

LDShadowLady +24

Technoblade -19

Smajor1995 -7

Zac Oyama +13

Lou Wilson -3

Wilbur Soot -32

Amaury Guichon -3

Jerma -32

iskall85

Shane Madej -37

Kasane Teto

Alan Becker +14

Markiplier -14

Brian Murphy +14

Falsesymmetry +3

Badboyhalo -11

Siobhan Thompson +2

Dreamwastaken -29

Ryan Bergara -47

Joe Hills -14

Slimecicle -31

Emily Axford -2

Kagamine Rin +15

Cellbit -21

Ranboo -39

Quackity -47

Izzy Roland

Bigbst4tz2 +2

Jorge Rivera-Herrans

Wayneradiotv +9

Aabria Iyengar -15

Laura Bailey -35

GeorgeNotFound -32

Marisha Ray -34

Shayne Topp

Jellie the Cat

Thomas Sanders -2

Kagamine Len +21

Sam Riegel -18

Evbo

Erika Ishii

Courtney Miller

Matpat

Damien Haas

Steven Lim +5

Megurine Luka +17

Ashley Johnson -35

Ify Nwadiwe

Taliesin Jaffe -20

Rekha Shankar

Sapnap -27

Foolish Gamers -37

Aphmau +11

Matthew Mercer -41

Jaiden Animations -41

Kaito

Jschlatt -3

Travis Willingham -36

Mike Trapp

Oscar Montoya

Gumi

Shubble -21

Jacksepticeye -36

Baghera Jones -28

TinaKitten -17

Brian David Gilbert -13

Ian Hecox

Maia Arson Crimew -58

The number in italics indicates how many spots a name moved up or down from the previous year. Bolded names weren’t on the list last year.

Pssst! Did you know there are a bunch of MCYT Communities on Tumblr? Not seeing the one you'd like? Be the change you wish to see in the world. Create your own here.

[jirsungs]

NO IDEA ☆ l.dh

pairing: loser!donghyuck x fem!reader

no idea synopsis: a story where both you and lee donghyuck seem to get what you want. he's the perfect pawn in making your ex-boyfriend jealous and the smarty pants tutor helping you pass your math class. donghyuck has it easy too, he's finally able to seek out and experience the world of dating through you, his long-devoted crush and surprisingly enthusiastic tutoring student. but then again, when meaningless tutoring sessions soon evolve into reciprocated feelings, is it really that easy?

genre: college au, nonidol au, fake dating au, social media au (includes written chapters), classmates to friends to lovers, he's a nerd & she's a popular cheerleader (you see where this is going), he fell first but she fell harder trope, kinda based off to all the boys i've loved before, fluff, crack/humor, angst, one-sided pining that turns into mutual pining

warnings: explicit language, unrealistic college partying, talks about family issues (this does NOT reflect any of the idol's families!), yuqi has an ex gf, some alcohol consumption, kys and sexual humor, bullying, hyuck and his buds are mistreated ☹️, hyunjin is a bad bf!!!, cheesy af, unrequited love, bad insults that sound like they're from the 2000s, HELLA miscommunication

no idea playlist: btr's no idea, taylor swift's you belong with me, the vamps + demi lovato's somebody to you, james arthur's can i be him, ariana grande's daydreamin, fitz & the tantrums' out of my league, shawn mendes' treat you better, bruno mars' just the way you are, lonely god's marlboro nights, the 1975's i'm in love with you, sam smith's like i can, arctic monkeys' wanna be yours

author's note: FIRST HYUCK SMAUU! how we feeling 😏 i needed to get this idea out of my system! plus, i love this type of trope, and haechan just fits the nerdy role 😭 I HAD TO! but happy reading :D <3

comment if you wish to be tagged for the story's updates!

profiles: "ncu freaks" + jeno 🤔 | gal pals & two men

intro. #manifestationiskey 🩷

ep 1. but a FAILING?

ep 2. i guess i'm her tutor

ep 3. WHY IS HE ATTRACTIVE

ep 4. COUGH y/n bag him COUGH

ep 5. i know i can treat youuu bettterr

ep 6. YNHYUCK PLOT IS FINALLY SAILING!

ep 7. bro texts with his 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂 𝓪𝓵𝓹𝓱𝓪 mode on 🐺👅

ep 8. bro fumbled HARD 🤦‍♂️

ep 9. LET THE BOY LIVE!! HES IN LOVE!!

ep 10. THE HARD LAUNCH GOES CRAZY

ep 11. lemme guess, fake boyfriend responsibilities? (written)

ep 12. jeno got me up... plotting

ep 13. AMAZING fake boyfriend

ep 14. meeting the ncu freaks? (written)

ep 15.

ep 16.

ep 17.

ep 18.

more to come. . .!

started: 09/06/24 finished:

© JIRSUNGS. ANY TRANSLATIONS/REPOSTS/PUBLISHES OF MY WORKS ON ANY PLATFORM ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED! ALL COMMENTS, REBLOGS, LIKES, & FEEDBACK ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU, MWA! <3

[solxamber]

ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

This is a small gift from me to you for Valentine's Day!

Submissions are now closed! Thanks for participating <3

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞

Choose a character

Choose the type of relationship (Platonic or Romantic)

Choose a song! Or a specific line from a song!

Please make sure to leave the artist name or a link to the song!

𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞

[Riddle, Romantic, "Gemini" by TROY] OR

[Rollo, Romantic, "Whenever you're near, I feel like I can't breathe" (Gemini by TROY)]

𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬

Event submissions will be open for 2 days. Submissions close on the 2nd of February 2025. (1:30 a.m. UTC +4)

No Angst without comfort, No Hurt No Comfort, They'll all have happy endings.

I'll write based on the lyrics and/or the vibe of the song.

No language limits, the song can be in any language.

If I get the same character with the same song multiple times, I'll write it only once.

Playlist with all the songs: Link

Fics

Valentine's Special! Giving them Chocolates

1. Ace, Romantic, Jenny by Studio Killers

2. Idia, Romantic, Absolutely Smitten by Dodie

3. Floyd, Romantic, Obsessed by Sophie Powers (Suggestive)

4. Rook, Romantic, Love Story by Indila

5. Vil, Romantic, Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Ray

6. Silver, Romantic, Yuusha by Yoasobi

7. Leona, Romantic, September by James Arthur

8. Malleus, Platonic, Fireflies never came by Harumaki Gohan

9. Lilia, Romantic, Lovesong by The Cure

10. Trey, Romantic, Casual by Chappell Roan (Suggestive)

11. Jade, Romantic, Suffering by Jorge Rivera-Herrans

12. Ace, Romantic, Always by I Fight Dragons

13. Azul, Romantic, Sleepless by Dutch Melrose

14. Deuce, Romantic, Again by Noah Cyrus

15. Riddle, Romantic, No Name Yet by Double Face

16. Vil, Romantic, Guilty as Sin by Taylor Swift

17. Neige, Romantic, Strawberry Mentos by Leanna Firestone

18. Leona, Romantic, Waiting on the Sun by Citizen Soldier

19. Ace, Romantic, 30 Second Love Story by Peggy

20. Leona, Romantic, We're Still Underground by Eve

21. Vil, Romantic, By Birthright by glaive

22. Leona, Romantic, Shivers by Ed Sheeran

23. Cater, Romantic, APT. by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars

24. Lilia, Romantic, Carrousel by Amir

25. Malleus, Romantic, Loving You Keeps Me Alive by Frank Wildhorn

26. Riddle, Romantic, Chai Tea by audrey

27. Ruggie, Romantic, Heartbreak Girl by 5 Seconds of Summer

28. Jamil, Romantic, Stupid in Love by MAX

29. Ace, Romantic, Orion Shining Above the Skies at Noon by Bank of Innovation

30. Azul, Romantic, My Sweetest Love by The Cat's Whiskers

31. Jamil, Romantic, Dazed & Confused by Glen Check

32. Malleus, Romantic, Treehouse by Alex G

33. Rollo, Romantic, Bewitched by Laufey

34. Deuce, Romantic, I Like Me Better by Lauv

35. Silver, Romantic, A Night to Remember by Laufey, Beabadoobee

36. Malleus, Romantic, Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis

37. Leona, Romantic, Homesick by MICO

38. Ace, Romantic, True Colors by Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake

39. Malleus, Romantic, La Da Dee by Cody Simpson

40. Ruggie, Romantic, Good Luck, Babe! by Chappell Roan

41. Rook, Romantic, I bet on losing dogs by Mitski

42. Lilia, Romantic, Love wins all by IU

43. Floyd, Romantic, Burn Wild by ROZES, Young Bombs

44. Idia, Romantic, Ordinary by Alex Warren

45. Lilia, Romantic, BIRDS OF A FEATHER by Billie Eilish

46. Vil, Romantic, K.O. by Haiden Henderson

47. Jade, Romantic, 18 by One Direction

48. Jamil, Romantic, Stephanie by Nafeesisboujee

[marauder-misprint]

⟡ A Dog Person ⟡

⋆. ݁⭒ completed ⭒ ݁.⋆

Sirius Black x Slytherin!reader

Masterlist

Part 1 - Animal Person

Part 2 - Chaperone

Part 3 - People Watching

Part 4 - Charms

Part 5 - Slug Club

Part 6 - James' Idea

Part 7 - Meeting Padfoot

Part 8 - Flirting

Part 9 - Permission

Part 10 - Date

Part 11 - The Morning After

Part 12 - Gryffindor Wins

Part 13 - Earning Trust

Part 14 - Friends

Part 15 - A walk

Part 16 - A Sirius Person

[moonstruckme]

Thawing Out

collab with @ellecdc

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11 | part 12 | part 13 | part 14 | part 15 | part 16

cw: modern au, alcohol, brief talk of injuries/chronic pain

poly!wolfstar x fem!reader ♡ 1.4k words

“Oi! What’s this?” 

You sit up from your stretch with a sheepish look on your face, legs spread out on either side of you on Sirius’ rug. 

“You know there’s no practice during lounge time,” he scolds. 

You roll your eyes but come out of your split, standing to take the drink Sirius holds out for you. “I just felt a little tight.” 

“Probably because of how hard you’ve been working at not jumping.” He clinks his glass against yours, taking a hearty sip. 

You copy him, and your face scrunches. “Oh, my god.” You sound like you’re fighting a gag. “What’s in this?” 

“It’s sangria.” Sirius’ voice is a bit wounded. Which feels appropriate, because you’ve just reacted to his sangria like it’s petrol. 

“You mean there’s a whole bowl of it?” 

“That’s how it typically works.” He takes another sip, swishing it around his mouth a bit. It’s really not bad. “I make drinks, babe. Not juice.” 

“I’m going to have to revoke your drink making privileges again after this,” you sigh, folding one leg under you as you sit down on the couch. You take another sip, tentative and with narrowed eyes like you’re suspicious of the liquid in your glass, but this time you swallow without complaint. “Do you really think I’m working hard at not jumping?” 

Sirius grimaces. He should have known better than to think he could breeze by a comment like that. 

“Listen,” he says, “he’s not wrong about everything. I mean, about most things, definitely—” you give a little smile, the reward he was seeking “—but he’s got a point on this one. I can feel you tensing right before the jumps. Before a lot of things, actually. You’re holding yourself back.” 

You rub your lips together, a nervous tic of yours that torments Sirius like nothing else. He fights the urge to lick his own lips in response. 

“Do you remember what Peter said about my jumps?” you ask him. 

Sirius feels his mouth twist with a malice not meant for you. He tries to quell it. But fuck—why are you still thinking about that wanker? 

Peter Pettigrew was a mistake in trust Sirius never should have made. His judgment has always been wonky where James is concerned; Peter was James’ friend, so he was Sirius’ by default, but Sirius still should have known better than to bring him around you. 

Before, there would have been three of you here. Peter used to like to sit on the couch with Sirius, and you were more than happy to lounge around on the rug and stretch, no matter how many times Sirius told you to lay off yourself and relax for once. He was totally prepared to have to shoot you down if you suggested inviting Remus tonight, but despite how comfortable you seem to have become with your new coach over the last couple of weeks, you haven’t seemed inclined to bring your relationship outside the rink. Sirius is grateful. Now that it’s just the two of you, he intends to keep it that way. It had more than stung to learn that Peter sold the both of you out, but it was worse knowing that Sirius could have avoided it had he simply used the acumen he’d always prided himself on to sniff out the rat before it happened. 

Fuck, the sangria is already going to Sirius’ head; he has half a mind to go to the pillock’s apartment and burn it down. If Peter’s half as smart as he thinks he is, he’ll have already moved. 

“No,” Sirius says, already tired with this conversation. He takes another lengthy sip from his glass. “What did he say?”

You curl your feet a little closer to you, and—yep, if Peter’s ever stupid enough to come within Sirius’ sight again, he’s going to knock his fucking teeth out. “He told the other coach that I was one bad jump away from injuring myself into an early retirement.” 

From your weary tone, Sirius can guess that you’ve memorized it verbatim. 

“He didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about,” he tells you firmly. 

Your voice gets smaller. “He usually did.” 

Your defeat hits Sirius right in the center of his chest. It makes his wrath fizzle. He doesn’t like to think about Peter’s better qualities, but you’re not wrong. He wasn’t always a complete idiot when it came to coaching. 

You lean your head on the couch cushion, and Sirius mirrors you unthinkingly. 

“You think you’re going to get hurt.” His voice comes out even softer than he intends. It’s a question, and also not. 

You nod anyway. “I can’t stop thinking about it. I know I’m messing us up, but I don’t want to fall and then not be able to compete.” 

Sirius’ mind flashes to Remus, to his grimace when he stands from the bleachers, the limp he tries to hide. From your expression, you’re thinking about him too. 

“You’re not messing us up, love.” The endearment slips out too easily, Sirius’ throat all buttered up by sympathy and booze. “Only yourself. You’re falling more now than you did before, you do realize that?” 

Your expression creases slightly, which is answer enough. 

“Every time you tense up or hold yourself back,” he says, “you’re more at risk for a bad fall than you would be if you committed. I’ve seen you fall more in the last couple of weeks than I think I ever have. Whatever Pete—Peter—was talking about, you’re only as much at risk of getting hurt as everyone else that’s as good a skater as you are—I mean, you have the skill to protect yourself, you’re just not using it. You trying to play it safe is less safe than when you didn’t worry about it.” 

You sit with this for a minute, rubbing your lips together thoughtfully. Sirius notices that at some point, you’ve nearly drained your glass as well. 

“Oh,” you say simply. 

He can’t help the grin that splits his face. “Oh?” 

“I hadn’t quite thought about it like that.” You take another sip, eyes stuck in the middle distance. 

“You can just say I’m the wisest person you know. It’s all right.” 

Your gaze cuts to him. “Would you like that engraved on a trophy?”

Sirius feels his smile grow. “Sure, I’ll add it to my collection.” 

“Oh, you are insufferable,” you chuckle. “Don’t think it was your original idea, though, was it?” A grin spreads across your face, one Sirius doesn’t like very much. “In fact, I think you’ve just agreed with Remus. Quite heartily.” 

Sirius feels his mouth pucker in distaste. “That was incidental.” 

Your laughter is diabolical. He wonders whether you were quite so wicked before you met him; it’s impossible to say, now. 

“Should I skip practice tomorrow?” you ask gleefully. “That way you two can spend the entire time waxing poetic about how right the other is.” 

He levels you with a dead stare. “Don’t fool yourself, doll. You like me too much to condemn me to such a cruel fate.” 

“You’re so full of it.” You roll your eyes with a smile, swirling your glass. “He is sort of your type, isn’t he?” 

Sirius’ throat nearly hurts from the force of his scoff. “What—dull, stubborn, and pompous? Fuck off.”

You hum, your gaze playful. “But also quite fit, right?” 

Sirius narrows his eyes at you, but that only makes yours twinkle more. He feels it like tiny little firecrackers in his gut. Even though you’re only teasing, he can see where you’d get the idea. When Sirius dates boys, he tends to go for ones taller than him, with Remus’ same lissom frame and enigmatic allure. But with Remus, there is no enigma; he’s a tosser, clear as day. And truly, Sirius hasn’t found anybody as lovely as you in some time. 

“Sounds like you’re the one who fancies him,” he says, keeping his voice light. He makes his expression go impish and teasing. “We can both do better, don’t you think?” 

You roll your eyes, but your expression is inscrutable as you take another sip from your glass. Until you take another sip, that is. Then, your lip curls. “Ugh, we can certainly do better than this. Do you have something I could add to it?” 

“You want me to let you sully my creation,” Sirius deadpans. 

“I want you to let me make your monstrosity potable.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” he says. “I’ll let you, but then no more shop talk for the night.” 

You grin, sitting up. “I promise.” 

“There’s orange juice in the fridge.” 

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

can you see the stars in your dreams (and do they have a lot to say about me) - Part 17

Or: a secret Admirer AU

PART 1 || PART 2 || PART 3 || PART 4 || PART 5 || PART 6 || PART 7 || PART 8 || PART 9 || PART 10 || PART 11 || PART 1 || PART 13 || PART 14 || PART 15 || PART 16

Eddie’s back to school on Tuesday, black eye turning a mottled sort of green, lip scabbed over. From where he’s hemmed in by Robin and Chrissy, Steve watches Eddie catch a glimpse of him and bolt the other way.

Jeff sighs, lets go of his hold on Chrissy’s arm, and says, “sorry, Steve. I’m just gonna—” and then he points toward Eddie and follows after him without another word.

Steve’s gut clenches with guilt. He’d put that look on Eddie’s face, had caused the rift in his and Jeff’s friendship, had split the forming group up with his ridiculous crush. But Chrissy and Robin are still here, standing by his side.

“Are he and Jeff okay?” Steve asks, biting his lip as he glances at Chrissy.

“I think so,” she says, looking after her boyfriend. “They talked on the phone, but Jeff didn’t tell me what about.”

“Forget about them,” Robin replies, reaching out to take his hand even as it makes everyone around them stare. “Come on, Stevie, or we’ll be late to Ms. Clickity Clack’s class.”

Steve passes the rest of the day in a daze, the spot at his side a revolving cast of Chrissy, Robin, and Jeff, like they’d all talked behind his back and decided he couldn’t be trusted with being alone right now. Steve can’t blame them because as soon as he’s left unattended in his big empty house, he gets out his notebook and pen, and begins to write.

   Eddie —

   I’m sorry I never got to read your last letter, but it wasn’t for me anyways. Maybe none of them were, not really. And I’m sorry about that, even sorrier about how your pretty face got caught in the ceasefire. I’m just full of sorries I’m to scared to tell to your face—from the way you ran when you saw me in the hallway this morning, maybe you wouldn’t want me to anyway.

   You’ve always been the brave one, so you must really want to not see me, huh? I hope you and Jeff are friends again. I’m sorry about that too, I’m the one who asked him not to tell you. I was afraid, but that’s no excuse.

   I don’t know how to stop wanting to right write to you. I can’t turn off the part of me that still wants to know everything about you. There’s a whole in my heart, and I keep trying to find people to fill it, but I can never be in love with someone who loves me back. You know?

   I’m sorry, Eddie. Maybe someday, I’ll get to say it to your face.

   Sorry,

   Steve

He closes the notebook on the damning words and shoves it into his nightstand so he doesn’t have to look at it. Sleep doesn’t come—the house is too quiet. He grabs the phone off his dresser and calls the only other person he knows whose parents trust them enough to have a phone in their bedroom.

“H’lo?” Robin mutters sleepily after finally picking up the phone six rings later.

She sounds tired—Steve’s sorry he woke her. “I wrote another letter,” he says.

That seems to perk her up instantly, as she hisses down the line, “Steven James Harrington.”

“Not my name, Robin Steven Bobbington,” he replies, talking right over her shrieked “well, that’s not mine!” to continue, “I’m not going to send it.”

“You better not,” she replies, and Steve can hear some rustling on her end, like she’s settling back down into her bed. He wishes, suddenly, that he was in there with her, clutching her hand as they fall asleep side by side. Instead, he lays down on his own bed and concentrates on the noises coming down the line.

“Is it stupid that I miss him?” he asks.

“Yeah, kinda.”

“Robin!”

She laughs, a quiet sleepy chuckle that warms him straight through. “I’m just saying! He’s been treating you like shit, Stevie.”

Steve sighs, burrowing down under his comforter and taking the phone with him. “He was different in the letters,” he whispers, like someone in his empty house might hear him otherwise. “Sweeter, you know?”

Robin sighs, “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, me too.”

There’s enough sorries to go around for all of them, apparently. They’re quiet for a while, Robin’s breathing keeping him company in his big, lonely bed with his big, lonely thoughts.

“I love you, Robbie,” he whispers. “You know that, right?”

He’s been saying it a lot lately, throwing the words around like they’ll connect this time and get him something real. And they had, with Chrissy, with Robin, hell, even with Jeff. Just, not with Eddie. Maybe someday, he’ll learn to be okay with that.

“Love you, too, Dingus,” Robin replies, like it’s easy.

He falls asleep that night to the sound of Robin’s quiet snoring.

***

Eddie thinks about it—obsessively, compulsively. He dreams about it, jerks off about it, fucking cries about it. He reads the letters, again, and again, and again, wishing desperately that he still had that first one. At school, he checks his locker obsessively, compulsively, hoping there’s another note in his locker—there never is.

“Dude, what’s your problem?” Gareth asks, an elbow into Eddie’s side.

“Ow, ribs!” Eddie cries, curling away from him and into Doug at their usual lunch table.

“Sorry!” Gareth replies, leaning away from him and raising his hands up like that’ll somehow prove he’s harmless.

Jeff snorts around his sandwich, “gotta be careful, Gare-bear. He’s precious cargo now.”

“Oh fuck off,” Eddie replies, rolling his eyes as the rest of Hellfire laugh around him.

“No, but seriously, dude,” Gareth asks, this time without the thrown elbow. “What’s up with you?”

Eddie looks across the cafeteria at Steve and Chrissy’s usual spots, still empty the way they have been for weeks. He worries, sometimes, that they’re not eating, and it’s his fault.

Hopefully, they’re just packing lunches from home and eating somewhere else (he’s been too afraid to check).

“Can’t tell you buddy,” Eddie replies, still looking at the empty spot like that’ll somehow make the duo appear. “I promised.”

Gareth, clearly having followed his line of sight, leans closer and asks in an unsubtle whisper, “but it’s about you know what?”

Doug sits on, oblivious, but Jeff snorts again and asks, “okay, you didn’t tell me jack shit, but you told the freshman?”

“Sophomore, jackass!” Gareth cries, before seeming to realize the implications of Jeff’s sentence. “You told Jeff?”

“I knew before you did,” Jeff says smugly, and Eddie’s starting to get pissed off about that again.

“How!”

“Jeff, dearest?” Eddie grits out. “Do you want me to punch you in the face?”

That shuts the table up catastrophically. But in the end, Jeff sighs and says, “I’m coming over after school,” and the rest of lunch is spent fielding Gareth’s indignant questions.

True to his word, Jeff climbs into Eddie’s passenger seat at the end of the day. Eddie doesn’t take them to the trailer, he just drives around, taking back roads round and round, restlessness making his fingers twitch in the gear shift.

Jeff’s the one who breaks the silence, in the end. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he says, making Eddie flinch at the sudden noise. “Steve just seemed so scared, and Chrissy was crying so—”

“He was scared?” Eddie interrupts, stuck on the thought. He’d known that, before, but now that Eddie’s afraid, too, it hits like a punch to the chest.

“Of course he was,” Eddie replies to his own question. Suddenly unable to focus, Eddie pulls over to the side of the road. “I’m scared, too.”

Jeff sucks in a breath; Eddie doesn’t look away from his own knees.

“Yeah?”

Eddie bites his lip, knowing that Jeff will be able to read between the lines. “Yeah.” His eyes are watering, and Eddie swipes at them, embarrassed. “And I know we’re supposed to be talking about us, but I just—”

“No, hey,” Jeff replies. Eddie hears the sound of his seatbelt unbuckling, and the rustle of him shifting in his seat, and suddenly, Jeff’s hand is clasping Eddie’s shoulder, shaking him around just a little. “You’re my best friend—we’re fine, dude.”

Eddie swipes at his eyes again, “I think I want to ask him out, but what if I’m wrong?” Eddie asks, tracking Jeff’s expression out of the corner of his eye. “I don’t want to hurt him again.”

“So, what?” Jeff asks, voice deadpan. “You find out he likes you and suddenly he’s not just a jock anymore?”

Eddie looks down at his own knees, bracing for a hit he knows will never come. But, Eddie’s always been good at hurting himself, so he thinks about that yellow nail polish again, the enraptured look in Steve’s eyes during every D&D session, the way he’d glued himself to Robin Buckley, band nerd supreme’s side in recent weeks. The way he’d look at Eddie like he wasn’t the king of the freaks, like he was worth something.

“He was never just a jock,” Eddie murmurs. “I just never let myself think about it.”

Jeff mmmhmms him and Eddie knows him well enough to hear the doubt beneath the agreement.

“I was afraid, okay?” Eddie laments, scrunching his eyes closed tight until that makes his bruised eye ache too much. “You wouldn’t get it.”

At that, Jeff scoffs, and before Eddie can start up another tirade, he replies, “right, the black guy dating a white girl in Po-dunk, Indiana has no idea how scary it can be to make a move on the person you like.”

Okay, fair.

“You know what could happen if the wrong person finds out?” Jeff continues. “I’ll be lucky if they let me get out of town alive.”

“Okay, okay! I get it, sorry!” Eddie cries, throwing his hands up in defeat. And Jeff, being the asshole he is, just laughs at his discomfort. “How’s that going anyway?”

“With Chrissy?” Jeff asks, continuing when Eddie nods. “She’s great, man. I really, really like her.”

He’s smiling all goofy and in love. Eddie waits for the jealousy to hit; it never comes. Even as he’d flirted with her, there’d always been a disconnect for him between the letters and the girl. He knows why, now.

“I’m happy for you.”

Jeff aims that same goofy smile at him and punches his shoulder. “Thanks, man.”

Eddie wants to feel that way about someone. He wants to think of them and smile like he just can’t help himself. And with Steve Harrington of all people, maybe he can.

“If I ask Steve out, do you think he’ll still say yes?”

“Oh, for sure,” Jeff replies without hesitation before he turns to Eddie and eyes him up and down. “But are you sure you want to?”

Eddie bites back the defensive retort rising on his tongue, and grits out, “what do you mean?”

Jeff sighs and leans back in his chair. Eddie waits, three seconds from snapping as he stews in Jeff’s silence, hands clenched so hard against the steering wheel that it feels like one of his nails might pop clean off. 

“Jeff–”

“No one’s ever liked you before!” Jeff cries, and it hits Eddie like a punch to the sternum. “And maybe it’s not fair of me to ask but, are you sure you even really like him?”

“What?” Eddie asks, his mind a record skipping against a bent needle. “What do you–”

“Eddie, man,” Jeff sighs, swiveling his head to finally look Eddie directly in the eyes. “Do you like Steve Harrington, or do you just like that he likes you?”

He drops the wheel, hands almost numb as he shakes them out, no longer able to meet Jeff’s eye. 

How would anyone ever know that for sure? How can he know the origin of a feeling when it’s been there, simmering in the background of his brain, just waiting for him to wake up? How can he separate the feeling for a person and the person’s feeling for them?

That’s like asking him to unbraid his hair, let it fall back together, and still be able to tell which strands made up each component of the braid–it can’t be done.

But, “Gareth said I was obsessed with him,” Eddie replies, barely above a whisper. “Like, before I knew he wrote the letters?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Eddie laughs, but it’s just like Steve said–it sounds different when he doesn’t think it’s funny. “And, he was right, you know? I was flirting with Chrissy, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him.”

Eddie runs a shaking hand through his hair and buries his face into his hands with a shudder. “He’s just–he’s Steve Harrington, right? Everyone knows everything about him, but then he just changes the script!” Eddie’s smiling now, manic, animated. “And I wanted to know everything.”

Eddie drops his hands to look over at Jeff, meeting his eyes once more. Jeff looks patient, ready, hopeful in a way he hadn’t before, so Eddie keeps talking.

“Like, Chrissy was flirting with you and he didn’t even seem to care, and the yellow nail polish, and he came to Hellfire, Jeff. Steve Harrington came and watched us play Dungeons and Dragons.”

“I know,” Jeff replies, grinning now, pearly whites all on full display. 

“And when he came to band practice, he was just like, watching me, and I sort of wanted to die, but in a good way, you know?”

Jeff decidedly does not look like he knows, but he’s still grinning across at Eddie like he’s proud of him. Eddie’s kind of proud, too, that he’s managing to say all of this aloud. It feels somehow new and a long time coming at the same time. 

“Okay, you can ask him out,” Jeff says, turning forward in his seat and buckling his seatbelt once more. 

Eddie laughs. “Oh, because I needed your blessing?”

“Yeah,” Jeff replies, grinning as he turns back to Eddie, looking him up and down like he’s a slab of meat Jeff’s checking for its quality. “Maybe wait until you’re healed up, though. You look like one of those cardboard box kittens that I keep seeing on the news.”

“Shut up!” Eddie squawks, but he’s smiling, helplessly, hopefully.

Eddie Munson with a chance at love, who would’ve thought?

PART 18