#Road to 100 robins

[wigglesdtuff]

I have nowhere to go and nowhere to return to.

[jadewritesficshere]

Older!Eddie makes a point to drive to the Garfield statues in Grant County, Indiana and take a picture with each one in honor of his Uncle Wayne

[headspace-hotel]

Chemically sterilized...or mechanically sterilized?

It is clear that applying chemicals to your yard and landscape, be it fertilizers, weed killers, or pesticides, has devastating effects to the community of life that is present in every place.

But is the terrifying decline in insects explainable by chemicals alone?

When i am in mowed environments, even those that I know have no lawn chemicals, they are almost entirely empty of life. There are a few bees and other insects on the dandelions, but not many, and the only birds I see are American robins, Grackles, and European starlings.

Even without any weed killers at all, regular mowing of a lawn type area eliminates all but a few specially adapted weeds.

The plants of a lawn where I live include: Mouse ear chickweed, Birds-eye Speedwell, Common blue violet, Dandelion, Wild Garlic, Creeping charlie, White Clover, Black Medick, Broad-leaved plantain, Mock Strawberry, Crabgrass, Small-flowered Buttercup, Ribwort Plantain, Daisy Fleabane, a few common sedges, Red Deadnettle...That sounds like a lot of plants, but the problem is, almost all of them are non-native species (Only Violets, Daisy Fleabane, and the sedges are native!) and it's. The Same. Species. Everywhere. In. Every. Place.

How come...? Because mowed turf is a really specific environment that is really specifically beneficial to a number of almost entirely European plants, and presents stressors that most plants (including almost all native north american plants) simply can't cope with.

The plants mentioned above are just the flowering weeds. The grasses themselves, the dominant component of the lawn, are essentially 100% invasive in North America, many of them virulently and destructively invasive.

Can you believe that Kentucky bluegrass isn't even native to Kentucky? Nope, it's European! The rich pasture of the Bluegrass region of Kentucky was predominantly a mix of clover, other legumes, and bamboo. The clovers—Kentucky clover, Running buffalo clover, and buffalo clover—are highly endangered now (hell, kentucky clover wasn't even DISCOVERED until 2013) and the bamboo—Giant rivercane, Arundinaria gigantea—has declined in its extent by 98%. Do European white and red clovers fulfill the niches that native clovers once did? Dunno, probably not entirely.

One of the biggest troubles with "going native" is that North America legitimately does not have native grass species that really fill the niche of lawn. Most small, underfoot grassy plants are sedges and they are made for shady environments, and they form tufts and fancy sprays, not creeping turf. Then there's prairie grasses which are 10 feet tall.

What this means, though, is that lawns don't even remotely resemble environments that our insects and birds evolved for. Forget invasive species, lawns are an invasive BIOME.

It's a terrible thing, then, that this is just what we do to whatever random land we don't cover in concrete: back yards, road margins, land outside of churches and businesses, spaces at the edges of fields, verges at bypasses and gas stations...

Mowing, in the north american biomes, selects for invasive species and promotes them while eliminating native species. There's no nice way to put it. The species that thrive under this treatment are invasive.

And unfortunately mowing is basically the only well-known and popular tool even for managing meadow and prairie type "natural" environments. If you want to prevent it from succeeding to forest, just mow it every couple of years.

This has awful results, because invasive species like Festuca arundinacea (a plant invented by actual Satan) love it and are promoted, and the native species are harmed.

Festuca arundinacea, aka Tall Fescue, btw is the main grass that you'll find in cheap seed mixes in Kentucky, but it's a horrific invasive species that chokes everything and keeps killing my native meadow plants. It has leaves like razor blades (it's cut me so deeply that it scarred) and has an endosymbiont in it that makes horses that eat it miscarry their foals.

And this stuff is ALL OVER the "prairie" areas where I work, like it's the most dominant plant by far, because it thrives on being mowed while the poor milkweeds, Rattlesnake Master and big bluestems slowly decline and suffer.

It's wild how hard it is to explain that mowing is a very specific type of stressor that many plants will respond very very negatively to. North American plants did not evolve under pressures that involved being squished, crushed, snipped to 8 inches tall uniformly and covered in a suffocating blanket of shredded plant matter. That is actually extremely bad for many of the prairie plants that are vital keystone species. Furthermore it does not control invasive species but rather promotes them.

Native insects need native plant cover. Many of them co-evolved intimately with particular host plants. Many others evolved to eat those guys. And Lord don't get me started on leaf removal, AKA the greatest folly of all humankind.

So wherever there is a mowed environment, regardless of the use of chemicals or not, the bugs don't have the structural or physical habitat characteristics they evolved for and they don't have the plant species they evolved to be dependent on.

Now let's think about three-dimensional space.

This post was inspired when I saw several red winged blackbirds in the unmowed part of a field perching on old stems of Ironweed and goldenrod. The red-winged blackbirds congregated in the unmowed part of the field, but the mowed part was empty. The space in a habitat is not just the area of the land viewed from above as though on a map. Imagine a forest, think of all the squirrels and birds nesting and sitting on branches and mosses and lichens covering the trunks and logs. The trees extend the habitat space into 3 dimensions.

Any type of plant cover is the same. A meadow where the plants grow to 3 feet tall, compared with a lawn of 6 inches tall, not only increases the quality of the habitat, it really multiplies the total available space in the habitat, because there is such a great area of stems and leaves for bugs and birds to be on. A little dandelion might form a cute little corner store for bugs, A six foot tall goldenrod? That's a bug skyscraper! It fits way more bugs.

It's not just the plants themselves, it's the fallen leaves that get trapped underneath them—tall meadow plants seem to gather and hoard fallen leaves underneath. More tall plants is also more total biomass, which is the foundation of the whole food chain!

Now consider light and shade. Even a meadow of 3ft tall plants actually shades the ground. Mosses grow enthusiastically even forming thick mats where none at all could grow in the mowed portions. And consider also amphibians. They are very sensitive to UV light, so even a frog that lives in what you see as a more "open" environment, can be protected by some tall flowers and rushes but unable to survive in mowed back yard

[kurishiri]

william v.s. darius . . . darius vogel END 🪽

— this translation may not be 100% accurate or contain creative liberties due to characterization or narrative flow purposes. if you enjoy, please consider reblogging, but don’t repost these or claim these as your own!

— cw: none, but you’ll definitely find out a thing or two about darius here.

Kate: I’ll go with Darius to find the boy. I would like to support him as someone who’s familiar with the streets here.

Darius: That makes me happy to hear. It was also because of you that we were so close to catching him too.

William: Indeed. I’m sure you will find it heartening to have the little robin accompany you to assist with the streets around here.

W: Kate.

W: You are one to jump to the fray for others, but you are also a clever little robin who never forgets about us and returns to her nest.

W: I am confident you won’t get lost on your way.

I stared back at the eyes fixed straight on me.

Kate: Alright, leave it to me.

(I will cooperate with Darius, as Crown’s fairytale keeper.)

Darius: You’re a reliable one, aren’t you. Well then, let’s venture down these streets, miss fairytale keeper.

After running the streets for a little while——

Darius: Oh? What’s this?

Darius pointed to something ahead of him, where on the stone pavement, it looked like some pebbles were all in one place.

It was an unnatural sight, to be sure, so we stopped to scrutinize it.

Kate: Are these... plum seeds?

Darius: From that box he flipped over, I take it.

Kate: Oh, then maybe it’s a trace that boy left behind after eating them?

Darius: Likely so. See, look over there, there are some more scattered over there.

Darius was looking toward a place ahead of us, but...

Kate: Umm... I’m really sorry, but I can’t see that far...

Darius: Ahh, is that so? I happen to have extremely good eyes. Oh, and a good sense of smell, too.

Kate: Oh, wow! I’m pretty jealous.

Darius: Mhm, it’s really convenient.

With an innocent smile on his lips, he looked at me with those honey-colored eyes,

and for some odd reason, I felt that those very eyes were looking down from above, in a place somewhere far off.

(...Is it because he said his eyes were good? No, I feel like there’s something more to it.)

Darius: Ah, I spot some pie crumbs. On the miss fairytale keeper’s cheeks.

Kate: Huh?

Darius: Hehe, over here.

He reached toward me,

and his gloved hands wiped it off.

Kate: T-thank you very much...

(Ack, that’s so embarrassing...! Does that mean it has always been on my cheeks?)

I felt my cheeks turning redder and redder, but I couldn’t move until Darius withdrew his fingers from me.

Darius: This path might have been the correct one.

When we hurried on——

I spotted a small back enter through a hidden entrance in the back road.

Darius: That’s him.

Kate: That road’s exit leads back here after a while.

K: If it’s alright, could you head to the exit up ahead and cover the path there?

K: I’ll go in to directly chase after him to drive him to the exit.

Darius: So I see. We’re using the pincer movement here, yes?

Trying to keep as quiet as possible, I moved with quick steps.

When I did, eventually I could hear another set of footsteps.

(...There he is.)

Up ahead was a place where sunlight couldn’t filter through, and up ahead I spotted the small back of that boy.

Slightly dirty boy: !!

The boy, having sensed my presence, turned back, and surprised, he ran off.

I, too, ran after him, closing the distance between him and the exit.

And in the path the boy was taking, it was as though an angel’s wings had spread——

Darius’ coat fluttered, blocking the way.

Darius: Would you not say it’s about a good time to accept your defeat?

Slightly dirty boy: F-for what!? Because I sure don’t know...

Darius: You nabbed her things, did you not?

Slightly dirty boy: Grk, I-I don’t remember stealing anything!

Darius: But I do. I saw you bump into her before putting your hand in her skirt pocket.

Slightly dirty boy: ...!

Darius: Oh, that’s not all either. You also stole some plums in the midst of a small scuffle and ate them. The scent of fruit juice is quite strong off you.

D: But even without the smell, there are stains near your mouth and on your sleeves. One look is all one needs to know.

Slightly dirty boy: Urgh...

In a panic, the boy rubbed his sleeve.

Darius: And thanks to that, you left quite a big trace of your trail behind.

D: But, if you were going to leave anything, you could have been more clever about it. [1]

Slightly dirty boy: ...

The boy hung his head, balling his hands into fists in frustration.

Kate: ...Hey, can I ask why you’re doing these things?

Slightly dirty boy: ...And what could you do if I told you?

Slightly dirty boy: You know too, don’t you? A brat like me can do nothing but steal if I wanna survive.

Slightly dirty boy: All you rich guys fill your pockets with too much stuff.

Slightly dirty boy: So what’s the big deal in giving a little of that away!? I don’t got a home or anyone to call family!

Darius: ...Hmm.

D: Hey, miss fairytale keeper. I do doubt this boy has any relation to the organization.

Kate: Hm? Ah, yes, that may be the case. But still.

(I can’t simply overlook this.)

Slightly dirty boy: Organization?

Darius: Ahh, no need to worry your pretty head over it. We were talking to ourselves.

D: But anyway, would you be so kind as to give back her things?

Slightly dirty boy: ...Finders keepers. It’s mine now.

Darius: Oh, do you need me to spell it out? You did not find it; you stole it.

D: So that’s why, let’s return the things to their rightful owner, okay?

Slightly dirty boy: Urgh...

Darius was wearing a bright smile on his face, as if he were erasing the boy’s will to talk back.

Slightly dirty boy: ...Okay, fine.

He reluctantly reached into his pocket, taking out what was in it, before he curtly placed them in both my hands, which were outstretched.

Darius: Alright, that’s enough. Care to leave now?

Kate: Eh?

Darius: Isn’t it great, miss fairytale keeper? You got your things back, safe and sound.

Kate: I-I mean, yes, it is great, but also...

Slightly dirty boy: ...

As though currently assessing the situation, the boy stepped back before dashing off as fast as he could.

Kate: Ah, wait...!

Darius: What is it? Did the boy not give everything back?

Kate: It’s just I don’t think it would do him any good if we should just let him go like that.

K: He is already used to stealing, so he may end up doing so again. Especially if it’s to survive.

Darius blinked at my words,

before he let out a sigh.

Darius: A reward for the good child, and a punishment for the bad one... so you say, but is there really anything we can do for him?

Kate: ...Huh?

Darius: It’s hardly as though there’s only one or two children in the world in a similar situation as him.

D: See, even William is going through so much trouble to find all the children who may have relations to a crime syndicate.

D: ——That’s why I was thinking we may as well turn this into a world where no such children exist.

D: Don’t you think such a world is not just a dream, with the Cursed ones’ abilities?

The smile on his face seemed to sparkle as he made such a statement as though he were singing it praises.

(Could it be Darius wishes for a world... where there’s no poverty or hunger?)

(But, for some reason...)

It stirred a familiar sense of unease in me.

Darius was a friendly person who wore a bright smile, and he almost had a childlike air about him.

But in the most unexpected times, the space that fell between us seemed to widen so much, I could hardly jump over it.

It felt like, even if we were looking at the same thing, his perspective and thoughts would come from such a different place and direction.

Almost as though——I had come into contact with a different ‘living being’ altogether.

Darius: Ah, speaking of, what are those in your hand?

Kate: Hm?

Darius’ sweet voice pulled me out of my own thoughts.

Darius: Just what did he steal from you, I wonder?

He was looking down at what was in my hand, his smile filled with excitement and interest.

Kate: Oh——here, this is for you, Darius.

I took out a handmade white leopard plush from the things.

Kate: The moment I met eyes with this plushie at the wagon, I thought, ‘I really want to give this to Darius!’ to myself, so.

Darius stared intently at the white leopard plushie, which laid on the palm of his hand.

Darius: .........

Kate: Doesn’t it look a bit like you, Darius? With its white coat and those pretty, honey-colored eyes. It even has a similar shape.

K: So, maybe that’s why I really wanted to gift you this.

(But, I feel like there’s something more as well... I feel as though I could reach a deeper place...)

The space that fell between us seemed to widen so much, I could hardly jump over it——

I realized that such was an unconscious feeling, and I may have also felt that I would like to jump over to the other side.

Kate: And besides, isn’t it adorable? See, it looks pretty lethargic.

Darius: .........

D: ...hehe, you have quite a sense... pfft, hehe.

(Hm? For some reason I feel like I’m being laughed at for something different...)

Darius: ——Miss fairytale keeper...

D: Could it be you wanted to make me smile?

Kate: ...Ah.

I felt taken aback when he asked me so straightforwardly.

(But, he is probably onto something.)

Perhaps my own feelings were more simple than I had thought.

Kate: Well, yes, if I could make you smile, that would make me happy as well.

Darius: Really now? If a smile is enough to make you happy, I’d be more than happy to give you however many you’d like, miss fairytale keeper.

D: ——See, like this.

Darius’ head slightly tilted, he gave me an innocent smile.

His platinum blond hair, hardly fitting in with the surrounding back street, swayed,

as it glistened in the few rays of sunlight that filtered through.

The specks of light also seemed to reflect in those honey-colored eyes, leaving me enraptured, unable to look away.

And this very expression before me was, out of all the smiles I had seen on him the entire day today, the most perfect of them all... almost too much so to be true.

(Oh, I see, this must also have been one of the reasons why I had felt a sense of unease.)

(Because Darius had never been smiling from the bottom of his heart.)

Kate: Darius, I... I want to see you smile, from your heart.

Darius: Oh my, could it be you thought my smile was all a fabrication?

Kate: That is, um...

Darius: The fact you couldn’t answer back means I hit the mark, right? How mean, though, thinking other’s smiles are fabricated and all.

D: But, well, if that’s the case...

Kate: Ah—

No sooner did Darius take my hand than he ran back from where we came.

His coat fluttered behind him, his platinum blond locks that resembled a cat’s fur bounced with his steps, and I felt myself wrapped in his relaxing scent.

The hustle and bustle and zeal of the street fair rapidly approached.

Darius: ...then, miss fairytale keeper, see if you can bring a ‘true’ smile out of me, yes?

to be continued…

will vs darius jude vs nica alfons vs ring

← prev epilogue →

NOTES:

[1] He is probably referring to something like leaving a fake trail. Like, if you were going to leave a trail anyway, you could have used it to divert us rather than lead us, kind of implication. (I could be wrong though.)

full masterlist 🌹🪽

[riality-check]

riiaaa!! for the 100 ways to say i love you prompts, #1 and steddie please!!

(this is also very late, but here we go!)

"Pull over, let me drive for a while."

"Steve."

"Mhm."

"Steve."

"Yeah?"

"You're gonna drive us off the road."

"I'm fine," Steve says, and Eddie watches from the passenger seat as the car moves a full two feet onto the shoulder.

And people have the nerve to criticize his driving.

"Yeah, no," Eddie says. "Pull over, let me drive for a while."

"I got it," Steve says, a mid-sentence yawn ruins his credibility.

Eddie sighs. Steve is more than just a good dude; he's become one of Eddie's closest friends over the past few months, thank you, trauma bonding. But even though Steve Harrington is a good person, he's exceptionally stubborn when he wants to be, and driving his Beemer is the most stubborn he ever gets.

Seriously, though? He needs to sleep. He's gonna get them hurt otherwise.

"Sweetheart," Eddie says, and where that came from, he's going to blame on the sleep deprivation, "please. I promise I won't scratch your car."

Steve straightens up at that. Sneaks a glance at Eddie out of the corner of his eye. Relaxes his grip on the wheel.

"Okay," he says, and he puts his blinker on, pulls onto the shoulder. "Yeah, you can drive."

Eddie breathes out a sigh of relief as they switch seats. He's lucky he and Steve are the same size, nearly; he doesn't have to adjust the seat or the mirrors.

He glances at Steve, just to make sure he's settled, before he shifts the car into gear and gets them back on the road toward Hawkins.

Move in was a success all around. First Nancy, in Boston, then Jonathan in New York, then Robin in Philadelphia. Steve and Eddie had nothing else to do, the gas money to spare, and a want to help out. Taking the Beemer seemed stupid until Eddie was reminded by everyone, less than nicely, that the van would fall apart on a drive to Indy, nevermind to three different cities on the East Coast.

They fit less boxes, but at least they made the journey without breaking down.

And now they're on their way back, at nearly midnight with four hours left to go, because it makes more sense to drive than to find an affordable hotel that's not a shithole in Philadelphia.

"This is weird," Steve mumbles.

"What is?"

"Letting someone else drive my car," he explains. "Last time, I was concussed, and Max almost drove us into a telephone pole."

"Mayfield?"

"Yeah, back in '84. Hargrove beat the shit out of me so bad I could barely think, the kids had to get somewhere, and she was the only one who knew at least a little about how to drive."

Eddie laughs and shakes his head. "Everything I learn about you is weirder and weirder."

"I didn't even tell you the worst part."

"Which is?"

"I was so out of it, I thought Mike was Nancy."

Eddie cackles, wiping the tears from his eyes as he continues to drive. Thank god no else is on the road.

"They don't even look alike," he wheezes.

"In my defense," Steve says with a smile, "I did have brain damage."

"Past tense?"

Steve punches him in the shoulder. "Asshole."

Eddie rubs over the spot with one hand and keeps driving with the other. It's nice, this time of night. No one on the road, warm enough to have the windows cracked in the pitch black. Music playing loud enough to hear but low enough to have a conversation over.

It helps that Steve's rich-boy car drives smoother than anything else Eddie's been behind the wheel of, and Eddie's been behind a lot of different wheels in his life.

"Thanks," Steve says after a little while.

"For what?"

"Driving."

"Of course," Eddie says, because he means it. Of course he'd drive when Steve can't. It's what you do for the people you-

Eddie looks over at Steve. He's kicked his shoes off and scrunched his knees to his chest on the passenger seat. He's curled up, toward Eddie, with his hair fanned out and his cheek squished against his knee, eyes closed. The streetlights, as they race by them, cast his skin in varying shades of silver and gold, highlighting the contrast of his freckles.

-love.

Eddie's doing this because it's what he does for the people he loves.

It's a quieter realization than he expected. Eddie has loved a lot of people like he loves Wayne and his friends, but he's never been in love before. He thought it would be an all-consuming, heart-racing crash, a collision bringing fire and constriction, needing the jaws of life to pull him out.

This isn't like that. This is liking being a little kid, jumping off the couch, and knowing someone is waiting at the bottom to catch him. There's the feeling of danger, sure, but he knows what's at the bottom.

He wonders how long he's known. Long enough for that love, the love he has for Steve, to be something comfortable and warm in his chest.

Steve's hand rests on the space between them, palm up, outstretched. Eddie takes it and squeezes it.

And, though Steve is surely asleep, he thinks he might squeeze back.

Prompts here.

[itsangelicasworld]

*･῾ ⁺ Welcome to My Teen Titans DR 🧨 .*

💥 ˗ˏˋ DESCRIPTION .ᐟ

In 2003 Jump City, a team of six teenagers called the "Teen Titans" fight against supervillains threatening their beloved metropolis. Along the way, they must face issues even worse than superpowered antagonists who want them captured; emotions, romance, and navigating the bumpy road of impending adulthood. My DR follows the plot of the show except with my own headcanons, scenarios, etc.

Like the show, there are no secret identities; so our superhero personas are quite literally just us. WHICH MEANS WE'RE TREATED LIKE CELEBRITIES!! People ask for photos/autographs, we have merch, and there's even an entire Teen Titans fandom with forums and fanarts and theories!! Not super relevant to this reality's lore, but thought it'd be cool to mention🤭.

🔆 ˗ˏˋ ABOUT ME .ᐟ

NAME : Angelica Sterling

NICKNAMES : Quin, Angel

AGE : 16-years-old

PRONOUNS : She/her/hers

ETHNICITY : Black and Mexican

MBTI : INFP-T

PERSONALITY : Optimistic, courageous, charismatic, empathetic, humorous, witty, mature, impatient, cautious, idealistic

HERO ALIAS : Quanta

POWER : Quantum Manipulation (basically the ability to manipulate the very foundation of the universe/matter because I'm the main character actually🤭)

SUB-POWERS : Healing, telekinesis, quantum empowerment, shapeshifting

DRAWBACKS : Using too much of my power at one time can lead to fatigue; symptoms range from mild (grogginess, irritability) to severe (headaches, unconsciousness). Additionally, under incredibly high-stress situations or potent emotions, my powers may become unstable or erratic

COMBAT SKILLS : Hand-to-hand, mixed martial arts, kickboxing, and of course using my powers, which include shooting projectiles and making defense constructs

🍕 ˗ˏˋ RELATIONSHIPS .ᐟ

I made moodboards + added some quotes for all of them here, so check that out if you wanna see their aesthetics🤭

ROBIN : My s/o!! I could write 100 paragraphs about this man but I'll list our tropes instead💪

Tortured hero (on his side, he gets it from Batman ftgyhuhgtfg)

Friends to lovers

Slooowwww burn

Mutual pining

Healing together

STARFIRE : Me and her are SUUCHH girly-girls. Having sleepovers, going to the mall, exploring the city, etc. is literally all we do and I love it. She also really likes ranting about Tamaran to me. Hearing her childhood stories is so sweet🛐

RAVEN : Initially, Raven needed time to warm up to me, but now we have a really close bond. UGGHH I can't wait to meditate with this girl and talk about spirituality. AND I SCRIPTED I'M THE ONLY ONE SHE ALLOWS IN HER ROOM, SO IT'S LIKE HAVING VIP TICKETS FFGHFFG BEAST BOY : This dude is such a jokester but he's so insecure I just NEED TO HUG HIM😭😭. He's like the little brother I never had; super annoying but I couldn't imagine my life without him

CYBORG : Although I'm not as close to Cy as some of the other members, he really means a lot to me!! He's kind of like my big brother. He really likes to teach me about mechanics and I know he's always got my back, and I have his. Even though we can squabble over his attitude sometimes💀

🦇 ˗ˏˋ OUTRO .ᐟ

Feel free to send in asks about this DR (and really any of them if your curious), they'd be greatly appreciated!! Thank you for reading THIS far <333

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 *+:｡.｡ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ. . . . . ╰──╮

Aesthetics inspired by @/shiftingwithjaidyn's fame DR intro | Dividers by @/strangergraphics-archive

[very-feral-lesbian]

it happens in march of 1997.

eddie and steve walking down the road in boston, eddie's arm carrying a small bag of groceries and steve carrying a large bag of cat food to bring home to sabbath and babylon. they were bundled up in coats, still not used to the harsh winters in boston.

their grocery store was only a few blocks from their house, good for times like these when they came home from work to their cats empty bowls and an equally empty pantry, not ideal for the get-together they were hosting tomorrow night.

boston had been kind to them, living merely blocks from robin and nancy, and the kids were able to come and visit frequently. they got away from the upside down and all of its accompanying instability.

it also had the benefit of being gay-friendly. they had formed a close-knit group of several other neighborhood queers alongside nance and robin. and while they personally weren't super big fans of pda, it did allow them to walk down the streets holding hands, as they were now.

so it was usual thursday, until it wasn't.

"no way, steve harrington in the flesh?"

tommy fucking hagan here, in boston. god hawkins just does not let up.

steve becomes increasingly aware of eddie hand in his. it feels like it weigh 100 pounds. eddie must pick up on this as steve feels eddie drop his hand, going to tuck into his jacket pocket.

tommy looks older, he aged just like his dad. he doesn't look bad, he just aged. it's like steve is in a time warp, his brain truly comprehending for the first time that it's been twelve years since he graduated high school and ditched behind king harrington. since he was the steve that tommy knew.

"wow tommy, i uh- never would have, i mean what are you doing in boston? last i heard you were down in dallas "

tommy smiled, "yeah im here on vacation for a couple days with my," there's a pause "... with my partner."

he and eddie glanced over at each other, picking up on that word but no, he couldn't be.

"what a small world. i mean we- i," pause, grabbing eddie's hand, part of him hoping tommy doesn't notice and the other part begging him to, "we live just down the street. had to pick up some food for the girls," gesturing down to the cat food in his left hand.

tommy smiled wide, "it's so cool how walkable boston is. it's been so nice for the last few days, not sure michael could handle this weather year 'round though."

michael? not michelle or michaela? michael.... michael.

he felt eddie's hand squeeze his, clearly aware of steve's train of thought at the moment.

after 11 years together, eddie practically has a window into steve's brain which is why he speaks up for the first time, "yeah we love boston, despite the cold. if you and michael aren't busy, we are having a few friends over tomorrow night if you two want to join? i'm sure i'd be nice for steve and you to catch up."

steve was thankful for his boyfriend in this moment, "yeah that would be great tommy, it'd be nice to meet michael."

tommy smiled, "yeah we'd love to."

eddie rattled off their address and the time, tommy bidding his goodbyes, leaving steve and eddie walking back the short distance to their apartment.

steve still hadn't said much, eyes looking forward.

"you okay, babe?"

steve looked over at eddie, "is every fucking person from hawkins gay?"

eddie laughed at him, "valid point. although to be fair, as much as i love him, hopper is just about the straightest man i've ever seen."

there is now a part two here

[corrodedbisexual]

I am once again thinking about Steve's injuries. Specifically, the road rash on his back and the back of his arms.

So... About a year ago I slid on a wet rock on a mountain hike and broke the fall on a rocky surface with my bare knee. The surface was relatively smooth, and the overall slide was... maybe half a meter. Nowhere near close to what Steve went through.

Several points from personal observation, in case you're curious and haven't scraped your skin much since you were a child learning to ride a bike and don't remember how it goes, and the resulting headcanons. (Having thought about it, I myself will try to incorporate this into my post-Vecna fics more, bc honestly there's never enough attention paid to it, and in the long run it might just be 100 times more of a bitch than the bat bites, despite not being immediately life threatening, due to the enormous surface of the skin affected.)

1) It doesn't really hurt that much right after the injury. The scrapes are shallow, there's little blood, it's mostly just mangled skin. So despite this being a common criticism of the canon, it's entirely plausible Steve could shrug that off and keep focused on the Vecna shit without treating it. I'll allow it.

2) The fun begins about a day later, when the injury really starts to scab. A knee or an elbow is probably the worst fucking place to get scraped: every tiny movement of your joints results in extreme stretching of the scabbing skin, damaging it over and over again when it's just begun to heal. I spent a week walking with a limp. But really it applies to any part of your body that moves a lot. For Steve, I'd say the worst would be his shoulder blades. Raising his arms, lifting anything heavy, anything that stretches the skin on his back would hurt like a bitch in his condition after a couple of days.

3) Also, he wouldn't be able to comfortably sleep on his back, or lean back in a chair. No fucking way. The edges of the scabs are sharp. When pressed on, they dig into your skin. Ouch.

4) The fun continues when it really starts to heal and ITCH! LIKE! A! MOTHERFUCKER! And of course, the scabs prevent you from scratching, because your body is smart like that, so of course you start peeling them. But you can't do that if it's on your back. I just imagine Steve behaving like a flea infested bear, trying to scratch his back against tree trunks and door frames while everyone tries to stop him from doing that because that keeps opening up his wounds. Maybe Eddie or Robin could offer him gentle backrubs when they hang out. Enough to take the edge off the itching, not enough to damage the scabs.

5) The scarring. It's not gonna be super visible, but it's gonna be there, a white spiderweb of scars. I realize that everyone's skin heals differently, and there are ointments that can help, but in the end, with all that, this is my knee about a day after the injury and 10 months later.

So, uh... Yeah. Stevie. I'm so sorry baby. (Hugging him tight to my chest)

[xoxoavenger]

Make It Out

pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader, bestfriend!Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

summary: They’re gonna take down Vecna this time. But before they do, Y/N has to chose between going with her best friend Eddie or her boyfriend Steve, and she has to live with the fact that not all of them will make it out alive.

word count: 7956

warnings: follows the events of ST4 finale so major character death and canon typical injuries, gun shot wound, lotsa blood, lotsa angst with some fluff

masterlist

"I'll understand if you want to go with Eddie." Steve said, keeping his gaze on the road in a way that meant he 100% wanted her to stay with him.

"How're your bites?" Y/N asked, casually deflecting the conversation. He had finally been able to put on a shirt and get some shoes, but Y/N knew that there was still a lot of blood underneath. Blood she had wanted to clean, to take care of his wounds, but there just hadn't been time.

Also, Steve hadn't allowed her to even look at them.

"Oh, just great. Ya know, I wanted to lose weight anyway." Steve joked, but Y/N didn't think it was funny that the demobats had literally ate at his flesh.

"We should go to the hospital." She said for the billionth time. She'd been trying to get Steve to go to the hospital ever since they got back.

"Y/N," Steve sighed and didn't finish his sentence, lifting one of his hands off the wheel to rub his forehead. He didn't have time to go to the hospital. Max was going to die, and if Max died then a lot of other people were also going to die and Steve wasn't going to waste precious time sitting in the ER for a couple stitches.

"I'm serious, Steve!" She lowered her voice as Eddie and Dustin looked up, realizing the couple was fighting. "I know you want to be the hero, but for once, can you please look after yourself?" She begged, sadness lacing her words as her throat constricted at all the memories of Steve being beat up. The newest one, the image of Steve being feasted on by bats, made her heart hurt every time she closed her eyes - it was as if the scene were painted onto her eyelids.

"Is that why you won't go with Eddie?" Steve asked, and Y/N let the silence draw out as her answer.

She would never admit that she wanted to go with Steve to stop him from sacrificing himself, but in that moment he knew that's exactly what she was thinking. Robin and Nancy were good friends, but Y/N was the only one who could stop him from giving his life on a whim - which scared him, because Steve, if he was honest, was the hero type. He took the beatings to keep his friends safe. From the moment that he was thrown into this mess, he knew that he would do anything to protect his friends from these creatures that just would not stop.

Unless, of course, Y/N was there with him. That may make him hesitate - or it may make him more reckless. It would throw off his game, make him second guess moves just to keep her extra safe, because if she died and he didn't he would never forgive himself.

However, he knew of one other person who felt the same way about Y/N - just without the romantic part. Steve knew that her idiot best friend, Eddie Munson, would protect her and Dustin, no matter what the 'freak' claimed. And when it came to Y/N, Steve was selfish. He needed her safe.

"You're going with Eddie." Steve repeated, but this time, it wasn't a suggestion or a question. It was final. And although just a minute ago he wanted her to go with him, they had both realized that she would see right through him if he was going to sacrifice himself.

"Uh, no." Y/N scoffed, not realizing she was getting louder. "I will go with whoever I chose." She crossed her arms, fire filling her head. How dare Steve think he could make that choice for her.

"You're going with Eddie or you're babysitting Erica. Those are your two options." Steve said as he pulled over in a field.

"Hey!" Erica yelled from the back, only hearing the last part of their conversation. At this point, everyone was shamelessly listening.

"You are not my keeper, Steve." Y/N was practically seething at this point. She was angry that Steve didn't want her to tag along, especially if it was the end of the world. She stood up, knowing that if she stayed in the van any longer she would probably begin to cry tears of frustration, and that was the last thing she wanted.

"Y/N!" Steve called as she opened the door and walked out, glad that she was able to make it a couple steps before the tears started really falling. They weren't all the way up the hill, so she trudged the rest of the way to sit at the top with her back facing the van. They could leave and she would only be able to turn and watch.

She sat there for awhile, letting her tears flow. Part of her liked this, being alone, but part of her wanted to be with Steve. Chances were, someone is gonna die, and even in the unlikely event no one does, they could still fail and the world could end. She heard footsteps, and she wiped her tears, not knowing who was coming up on her.

"Y/N," At Max's voice, Y/N instantly felt regret creep up her spine. Here she was, crying on a hill, when Max had one foot in the grave. "Can I sit here?" Max stood next to her, and she nodded, watching the younger girl take a seat.

"How're you holding up?" Y/N asked, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

"As good as you can expect when an evil demon is trying to take over your brain and kill you." Max shrugged with a light smile, and Y/N's heart tugged. Max was so young, she didn't deserve this.

"So, great, I'd imagine." Y/N joked, smiling when Max let out a small chuckle.

"Listen, I-I didn't want to say anything in the van, but," Max began picking the grass, not looking at Y/N. "I want you to come with Lucas and I to the house." Max finally looked up, and Y/N's heart completely broke. She looked scared out of her mind, and Y/N swore that if she somehow ever found Vecna herself, he wouldn't be making it much longer than a couple minutes.

"Max," Y/N wanted to reach out, but with Max's arms around her knees it was hard to figure out a good place.

"Steve didn't send me to ask, if that's what you're thinking." Max quickly rushed out, and Y/N gave a sad smile. Steve wouldn't send anyone to talk to her for him, he'd do it himself. "I just, I want someone there, who knows what they're doing." Max looked up at Y/N, who had furrowed brows. Why did Max think Y/N knew what she was doing?

"I'm not sure I follow," Y/N led off, voicing her thoughts.

"Well, you can drive us to the house, which will help. And Lucas is great, and I want him there still. But I need someone else there, someone to comfort me when I come out, someone who will stay calm." Max looked away before taking a deep breath. "And if I don't make it, I want someone there to comfort Lucas - not just his sister."

"Max," This time, Y/N felt dread as well as sadness flood through her. She remembered what it was like to be Max's age - she had a huge crush on Steve, but she obviously couldn't tell her best friend Eddie, who would have never approved at the time. Eddie wouldn't find out about her crush until three years later, when she let it slip that she had made out with Steve at Melissa's party. And even though Eddie didn't approve and he wasn't pleased, he let Y/N and Steve have their fun, ready to pick up the pieces if it ever failed.

There were some nights when Eddie was sure they were over, some nights when he thought about going to Steve's house and smashing a glass over his head to try and make him understand that Y/N wasn't the kind of girl you played with. But nevertheless, Y/N and Steve were still together, her and Eddie were still best friends, and Eddie had never hurt Steve (even if he had thought about it multiple times).

But that was the biggest thing she had to deal with. And now - now the biggest thing should have been college. She should be across the country right now at a nice university. But she couldn't leave Steve and Eddie, especially after they found out what was going on in Hawkins.

"Of course I will be there for you." Y/N scooted closer and put a comforting hand on Max's shoulder. "I will be there for you every time you ask me, whether it's something like this or if it's because you can't find a tampon and you don't want to bike to the store." She smiled when Max grinned, looking up and leaning closer. "Hell, after all this, you can move in with Steve and I." Y/N felt her hurt burst at Max's face.

"Really?" Max asked, half joking and half being serious.

"Yeah, totally." Y/N turned, finally looking at the group. Most of them were behind the van, obscured from view, but Steve was on the edge of everything, arms crossed and body faced so that he could keep an eye on Y/N and Max as well as the rest of the group. Y/N felt her heart float as she looked at the man, letting her hand drop as Max turned.

"What do you think Steve will say?" Max asked, a small smile on her face as she thought about living with the people who had filled in for her in the way her family never had.

"Oh, he'll agree." Y/N nodded, watching Steve turn and look at them even if he couldn't hear them. "We just need to convince him."

~

"I'm a little mad you're not coming with me." Eddie said, all geared up. They were about to leave, just saying their final goodbyes.

"If I went into the Upside Down, how could Steve be the hero?" Y/N joked, trying to take the edge off of their somber goodbye.

"Yeah," Eddie chuckled, looking around as Lucas and Max said their goodbyes. "I guess I'll just have to play the hero. For Dustin, of course." He smiled, and Y/N tried to smile too. It was watery, and tears were quickly spilling out of her eyes, even though she wasn't blinking.

"Please don't try and be a hero, Eddie." Y/N whispered, looking up at her best friend. He sighed as he met her gaze, tears in his eyes that he would never shed. She knew she was being selfish, but she didn't care in that moment. If Eddie or Steve died while she was sitting around, she would never be able to forgive herself.

"Come on, Y/N. I've been running from things since 1966. Do you really think I'm gonna stop now?" He put his arm around her and pulled her into a hug, where she cried into his shoulder. "Besides, someone's gotta keep your boyfriend safe while he's doing the heroic shit." Y/N let out a little laugh, mostly just to make Eddie feel better. Her stomach was torn with sadness and dread, and she wanted to go back to a couple days ago when her, Eddie, and Steve had all gotten high. They weren't worrying about crazy demons then, and she didn't want to worry about crazy demons now. She wanted to go home.

"Promise me you'll come back." Y/N whispered, pulling away from the hug to look at him.

"Of course," Eddie squeezed her once more before looking over at Steve, who was staring at Y/N. "I think you should probably say goodbye to your boyfriend now." Y/N let go of Eddie and turned to see Steve, who gave her a small smile. Just the thought of losing Steve, of having to say goodbye to him, made Y/N cry even harder.

Steve must've seen when she thought about it, about the fact that they were really saying goodbye, and instantly rushed over to her, pulling her into his arms. He held her tightly, squeezing his own eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears.

"It's not really a goodbye," He whispered to her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head so that he didn't have to remove her from his arms at all. "I'll see you in a couple hours." He sounded so sure, so calm, that it made Y/N breathe better.

"You better." She muttered out, pulling back only enough to be able to look at him.

"I'll even be able to hear you, in the Upside Down. I'll be keeping an eye out for you." He moved one hand to cup her face, the other staying put around her waist. She moved both of her hands to the sides of his neck, eyes welling with tears once more.

"But who's going to look out for you?" She whispered this part, speaking softly so that Nancy and Robin didn't hear. It's not like she didn't trust them to take care of Steve, but she knew that Steve would sneak himself to be in harms way before either of them even knew he was in danger. And by the time they figured it out, Steve could already be dead.

"I'm going to be fine, sweetheart." Steve was starting to choke up, so his voice was soft and high pitched as he moved the hand on her face to push her hair back. "Do you hear me? I'm going to come back to you." He didn't let her respond, instead kissing her like he would never see her again.

Because maybe it was the last kiss he would have, the last one he would share with her.

"I'm coming back." He whispered as he pulled apart. He knew his face was wet from her tears, because his tears were trapped. He wouldn't let her see him cry.

So, he gave her one more kiss, one last squeeze, one last 'I love you,' and then watched her turn around. She was taking his car to drive Lucas, Erica and Max to the mansion, and as she pulled out Steve wanted to tell her to stop, to go home so that she was safe.

She would never listen anyway.

~

Out of all the bad ideas they'd ever had, this was probably the worst. But, it was the only way to stop Vecna, the only way to save Hawkins - because apparently that fell on them now.

Y/N had heard the car pull up, and she immediately looked out the window. Erica was no longer at the lookout, and she realized quickly that it was Jason Carver's car.

Fuck.

"Lucas, you stay here, okay?" Y/N said, rushing to the door. It was too late, however, because Jason was walking in anyway.

"Jason?" Lucas asked, obviously confused as to why his teammate was stalking him.

"Leave. Right now." Y/N stood in front of Lucas, making it so that if Jason wanted to get past her he would have to physically harm her.

"Well, if it isn't King Steve's little pet." Jason spat out, trying to get into Y/N's head. She simply crossed her arms, still staring at the blonde man. "Or has the freak possessed you now?" That made Y/N pissed. The fact that Eddie was risking his life for a town that would never respect him made her blood boil.

"Jason, I would rather be actually possessed than spend another second in your presence." Y/N tilted her head, taking a deep breath and knowing this wouldn't end well. "So, you can either leave, or you can feel what it's like to be punched by a girl." Her smile was deadly, but as Jason glanced over her shoulder at Max, he had made up his mind.

"I'm not letting you freaks kill someone else." Jason began to move past her, so Y/N swung the best she could at his face, catching him off guard.

Not too off guard, however, because it only took a second for him to recover and pull out a gun.

"Hey!" Lucas yelled as Y/N lifted her hands, backing up. She looked over at Max, who was still in a trance, and then back at Jason, who was unwavering.

"Jason," Y/N muttered, her legs feeling numb from shock. Her heart was pounding.

"Wait, wait, wait," Lucas whispered under his breath before getting louder. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to do this, man." They were now side by side, hands up and keeping an eye on the gun.

"Yeah, I hope you're right." Jason told them.

"Wait," Y/N spoke out of breath, heart racing. She thought about if Steve could hear what was going on, if he was in the house. She hoped he wasn't, that he wouldn't hear if she was shot.

"Is there anyone else in the house?" Jason asked, stepping forward.

"No, no." Lucas shook his head in tandem with Y/N, who was afraid she was going to pass out from stress at this point.

"Turn around." Jason motioned with the gun, and Y/N shut her eyes tightly.

"What?" Lucas muttered, setting Jason off.

"Turn around!" He yelled, and Y/N quickly did as he said, eyes still closed.

"Okay, okay. Relax, relax." It was obvious that Lucas was just as stressed as Y/N was, and he turned around slowly.

"And put down your flashlight." Jason ordered loudly. Y/N did as she was told, tears beginning to fall out of her eyes.

"Steve, I don't know if you can hear me, or if you're here," Y/N started off. She had never been this afraid for her life - of all the things going on in Hawkins, all the messed up supernatural shit, she was going to be killed by a teenager with a gun. "But, if you are, I want you to know I love you." She was whispering, hoping Jason couldn't hear her.

"Stop muttering and empty your pockets!" Jason yelled, and Y/N reached into her empty ones, turning them inside out to show they weren't full. Random shit fell out of Lucas', and when Y/N spared a glance at him she saw he was shaking. "Now, here's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna back away to the top of the stairs there. Then I'll watch as you wake her up from whatever the hell this is." Jason ordered, and Y/N just shook her head.

"We can't." She said, trying to keep her voice from shaking or breaking. Lucas turned around to face Jason, and Y/N risked the same.

"Jason, if we wake her too soon, we all die." Lucas was speaking as if Jason was a child, but the blonde still wasn't understanding. The gun was still pointed toward them, and they were still without a plan.

"No. If you don't wake her up right now, you die, Sinclair." Jason threatened, his gun solely on Lucas now. Jason pulled the safety off, and Y/N felt her heart leap to her throat.

That's when the stupid idea popped into her head. And boy, was it stupid.

"I'm sorry, Steve." She whispered, just in case he was there. Because if she made it through this, if Steve heard what she was about to do, she would be waking up with his nightmares for awhile.

And then she dove at Jason.

She had crouched down a bit, so his first shot went over her head. However, she wasn't as close as she needed to be, and his second shot skimmed the far side of her left leg. She groaned, but still went to hit him, able to knock the gun out of his hand. Jason took the time to hit her, not holding back. His punch hit right on her cheekbone and temple, and she felt herself already begin to be dizzy. One hit wasn't enough, however, because he hit her again, in the same spot, and that knocked her out cold.

~

When she woke up, there was extreme pain in her leg and Lucas was screaming. She was still pretty out of it, but in a couple seconds she could also see Erica in front of her face.

"Y/N?" Her voice was swimming around her head, as if they were all emerged under water. "Steve is coming, he knows you're hurt." Erica was holding Y/N's head gently, since the left side was a giant bruise. She could feel her eye almost swollen shut, and her skull ached immediately.

"Steve?" Y/N asked, hearing an ambulance in the background. If Steve was on his way, and Erica was in here with them, that meant that it was over. "Did we win?" She asked hopefully. She couldn't see Erica's face very well, but she knew the silence and the small sniffles weren't a good sign.

Suddenly, it made sense that Lucas was crying.

"Shit," Y/N tried to sit up, but it felt like her body was light and her head was heavy. Her wrist was aching, but not as much as her leg. She had to look down to remember that she had been shot, and she couldn't get up. All she could see was the fuzzy outline of Lucas holding Max's body.

"Do you hear that?" Erica muttered, looking around. Y/N tried to focus on staying alert, listening as best she could. She heard the ambulance outside, but nothing else. It didn't take long before she heard the ground split, however - well , felt it at least. She turned to see Lucas moving Max away and watched the ground fall beneath them. She watched as it split Jason in half, and it made her heart race. They had officially lost.

She felt her heart fall all the way to the Upside Down when she realized that Steve and Eddie weren't back.

"We have to go," Y/N grunted as she looked out the opening the wall, watching the crack continue to grow and destroy everything in it's path. She looked down to see the ambulance, broken apart, so it would be of no help to them.

"We can't go!" Lucas yelled, voice breaking. "Max, she's alive!" He begged, and Y/N felt tears come to her eyes.

"Lucas," She started quietly, pausing to wince as pain throbbed once more through her leg. She needed to get pressure on it now, or she wasn't going to make it. "If Max was alive, there wouldn't be a giant tear in the ground." Y/N wanted to curl up in Steve's arms and get high with Eddie and never ever thing about this again.

"She's not! You can feel her pulse!" Lucas argued, and Y/N sighed, eyes closing tightly. It hurt slightly due to the fact that her left eye was already swelling, but it took away from the pain in her leg just a little.

"We need to go, Lucas!" Erica said, and Y/N could hear the pain Erica was trying to hide.

"Erica, you have to help me." Y/N muttered, shedding her long sleeve shirt and leaving her in a camisole. She felt her wet skin, sweat, but she was cold - she knew this was a bad sign. "I need you to tie this as tight as you can around my leg." She fastened the shirt so that the thick part was around her wound. The pain of the fabric bruising against the open wound made her almost pass out, and she fell backwards slightly.

"Why?" Erica asked with a shaky breath, hands going to grab the sleeves of the discarded shirt.

"I can't do it," Y/N whispered as if that would explain everything, leaning back and taking a deep breath. "We don't have anything to gag me with, so I'm gonna scream. But you have to keep going, alright? We have to stop the bleeding." Erica looked scared out of her mind, and Y/N would have felt bad if she wasn't bleeding out.

God, she hoped she wasn't going to bleed out.

~

Meanwhile, Steve was biking as quickly as he could to Eddie's trailer, tears in his eyes. Erica had told him that Max was dead and Y/N had been shot before Jason knocked her out. Their plan didn't work, and now the only thing left to do was hold Y/N while the world ended.

"Steve!" Dustin's voice made Steve's heart drop, because why wasn't the kid in the trailer? What the hell was wrong with him and why didn't he listen? The group pulled off to where Dustin was yelling from, realizing too late why Dustin was on the ground.

"Oh God." Robin said softly behind him. For a moment, Steve wasn't sure what to do. It was obvious that Eddie was dead, that they couldn't help him. Eddie, the guy he thought was a freak in high school but had since become close friends with. His girlfriend's best friend. Dead.

Steve didn't think before he began biking again, feeling tears sting his eyes and his lungs practically collapsing. If he stopped, he was going to throw up, and he needed to get to Y/N, make sure she was okay.

"Steve, what are you doing?" Nancy asked, voice cracking as she dropped her bike. Steve dropped his bike, running up stairs, opening the gate and going into the trailer.

"Steve, we have to go back and help Dustin." Robin said as the girls followed him into trailer. Steve looked at the spot where the sheets used to be; their ticket out of there, gone.

"Where the hell are the sheets?" He asked, looking around. He found half of the sheets thrown on the ground and grabbed them, hoping they'd be long enough.

"Are you listening? We have to go help Dustin." Nancy went to grab his arm, and he just pushed her away.

"Help him what, Nance? We can't do anything for Eddie. My girlfriend is dying on the other side, and I need to help her." Steve's voice was cracking, his throat hurting on the inside and out. He quickly threw the short rope up, and realized it would only stick out a bit on the other side. He would have to jump down and somehow avoid the chair that was also sitting in the landing area.

"Help him bring back Eddie's body." Robin argued as Steve jumped up, beginning to climb.

"How?" Steve grunted as he pulled himself up, trying to ignore the aching throughout his whole body. His shoulders still stung every time he moved his arms, but his adrenaline was high. He had one mission. "How are we gonna get his body out of the Upside Down and then explain to everyone how he died?" Steve flipped over to the other side, trying to avoid the chair. He let out a grunt as he hit it against his knee before moving it out of the way and replacing it with a mattress for the girls.

"Steve! Seriously?" They yelled up to him. Part of Steve knew that they were right, that they shouldn't leave Eddie and Dustin and they had already lost, so there was no need to return to the real world any time soon. However, his rational thought was being taken over by the fact that his girlfriend was dying and if she survived, he would have to tell her that her best friend is dead.

"I have to check on Y/N." He said before taking off.

"Why did he leave?" Dustin cried out as he ran into the trailer.

"Y/N was shot. Erica said she was knocked out, that she got into a fight with Jason and he clocked her after he shot her leg." Robin said, her voice high and tight as she filled Dustin in.

"Shit," Dustin put his hands over his eyes, and the older girls could tell he was crying.

"I know you want to bring Eddie back, but Y/N really needs our help." Nancy said, also feeling torn. She knew that Eddie deserved to be taken out of the Upside Down, but Y/N was alone with Lucas and Erica and neither of them could take her to the hospital.

"We can't let her die too," The way Robin said it made Dustin let out a sob, and the girls felt their hearts break for him.

Nancy and Robin helped Dustin up the rope, then followed him so that they were all together.

"What is he doing?" Nancy asked as they walked out of the trailer, watching Steve run around.

"Steve!" Robin yelled out, going to help her best friend. Steve acted like he didn't hear Robin - maybe he didn't - and continued to look around. "Steve, what are you doing?" Their escape plan had been the bikes leaning against Eddie's trailer, but Steve seemed to be looking around.

"We need a car," His voice was so low that Robin could barely hear him, and she just shook her head.

"We don't have a car." She reminded him gently, but he sighed and finally stopped, looking at her. She realized in the dim light that he was crying, his face red and eyes puffy. "We have the bikes. We need to go try and meet them at the mansion. Then we'll have your car." Robin was trying not to cry, because she had to be strong for her best friend. She was sure as he stared at her that he was going to have a meltdown.

"Yes. The bikes." Steve nodded, going to the bikes where Dustin and Nancy were already picking up theirs.

"We're gonna get there. She's gonna make it." Nancy tried to soothe Steve, but he wasn't listening. He just grabbed his bike and began to go quickly, leaving the rest of them to catch up.

~

"Okay," Erica grabbed the sleeves of Y/N's thing sweater she had taken off, pulling tight as she crossed them to tie it around the older girl's thigh. Y/N let out a whimper, gritting her teeth in pain. Tears were falling down her cheeks as Erica tied the sleeves as tight as she could, and Y/N finally let out a scream, fingers scratching the wood floor as she tried to grab onto something.

"Fuck!" Y/N yelled out, head tossed back and eyes closed in pain.

"I'm so sorry," Erica was crying now too, trying not to pay attention to the fact that Y/N was screaming in pain and Lucas holding Max's body, still crying.

"It's okay," Y/N whimpered as Erica had finally finished. Her leg felt like it was on fire, her thigh under the wound was practically numb. She could feel the blood everywhere, and even if she couldn't the black spots and floaty feeling gave her an idea of how much blood she had lost and how much pain she was in. "We need to go," She finally said, opening her eyes and looking at everyone.

"How? Where are you gonna go?" Lucas asked, and when Y/N turned she realized he was right, Max was breathing even if her eyes were bleeding and her limbs were broken. Holy shit.

"You and Erica are going to carry Max down to Steve's car. Then we'll drive to the hospital." She said it as simply as if she were going to take them to the movies. The only difference was the breaking in her voice from the pain and screams.

"Who's gonna drive us?" Erica asked, confused about how this plan was going to work.

"Luckily," Y/N took a deep breath before getting up on her own, letting out a few whimpers as she did so. She made sure to keep her weight off her leg as she stood, but now that she was up the pain seemed to be radiating all the way up her leg. She grimaced and squeezed her eyes shut, fingers clenching so hard that her nails were causing divots. "You don't need two feet to drive," She tried to smile at the kids, because this was traumatizing and she was not going to pass out and potentially die in front of these kids.

And thus, her adrenaline kicked in.

There was no other way to describe it, the way she was able to walk down the stairs and make it all the way to Steve's car, only using the railing and a couple walls for help. She limped heavily, tears falling down her cheeks because even though she was hopped up on her adrenaline, the pain was still almost too much to bear. She was surprised to make it to the car, unlocking the doors quickly to let Lucas and Erica into the back with Max. She lowered herself into the drivers seat as quickly as possible, which was slow. Once she was sitting down, her leg seemed to kick up in pain, and she hit her head against the the seat header, biting her lip to try and keep from screaming. The pain in her face was minuscule compared to the way her entire leg was practically on fire now. The only reason she hadn't given up was that she had to get the kids to safety, and then she would see Eddie and Steve. Hopefully.

"Okay," She muttered to herself, trying to keep her eyes open as wide as she could. She put the car in drive and quickly pulled out and onto the road, trying not to move her affected leg much. She was glad it was her left leg, the one she didn't drive with, because then she wasn't sure what would happen.

"Y/N," Erica was right next to her, and when Y/N jolted she realized that she was falling out of consciousness while driving. Shit.

"I'm not gonna make it to the hospital," She muttered, braking and putting the car back into park. Her head felt so heavy, heavier than it had ever been, and she realized she was swaying as the pain was seeping out. She wasn't sure if her eyelids were closing or if black dots were enveloping her, but she knew she wasn't gonna last long. She had started shivering at some point, even though the heater was on in Steve's car.

Oh God, she was going to die in Steve's car.

"No, please, Y/N, just stay with us." Erica grabbed Y/N's shoulder, shaking when Y/N's eyes slipped close. They opened slowly, her head rolling against the seat and facing Erica.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, because she was. She just wanted to get the kids to safety. She hadn't been able to protect Max like she promised, but she wanted to at least get the younger girl to a hospital, give her a chance. She was just so exhausted, and her body was so heavy, and she had been trying to be alright for too long. She was fading fast, and unless somehow Erica and Lucas could get her to the hospital soon she knew she was a goner.

"They'll be here soon, Y/N, I promise, just, please don't go to sleep." Erica was begging, something she never did, which was how Y/N knew it was bad. She looked down to see her makeshift bandage almost soaked completely with blood, a terrible sign.

"You have to tell Steve I love him," Y/N's voice was weak, and it scared Lucas and Erica.

"Y/N, you have to get us to hospital!" Lucas pleaded, tears still in his eyes. He felt like he had been crying for years at this point, his throat hurting and his chest feeling tight.

"I'm sorry," Y/N whispered, eyes closing again. She was sure she was never going to open them again when Erica yelled out.

"They're here!" And then she put her hand on the horn, letting out a loud honk. Y/N didn't startle as much as open her eyes slightly once more. She was able to make out her friends across the street, running toward her and ditching the bikes they had stolen.

"Steve," Y/N muttered out, a smile on her face. At least she would see Steve before she died.

"Oh, fuck," Steve said as soon as he opened the driver door to see his girlfriend, sweat coating her body and bleeding out in his front seat. She was pale and shivering, and Steve wasn't even sure what to do. She had a large bruise on her face, and he could tell that her left eye would be almost swollen shut even if she was able to open it all the way now.

"Shit," Robin said from behind him, seeing the blood soaked shirt and the state Y/N was in.

"We have to get to the hospital!" Lucas yelled from the backseat, everyone turning to him.

"Okay, princess," Steve said softly as he assessed her. Her wound was on his side, and picking her up was going to cause her pain. He didn't know how else to get her to the very back however. "Robin, open the back. Nance, you'll drive." The girls both nodded, Robin rushing back to open the trunk.

"I got blood on your seat." Y/N muttered as Steve pushed her hair back, sweat making it stick to her forehead.

"I could not give less of a fuck," Steve told her, kissing her burning forehead before taking a deep breath. "This is gonna hurt, babe, alright? But we have to get you into the back." Y/N nodded at his words, not really hearing them anyway. He carefully put his arms around her before picking her up, and she let out a scream as he put more pressure on her wound. Steve felt more tears leave his eyes at the scream, and he quickly got her into the back of his car, letting Nancy take the drivers seat. Dustin sat in the front seat, having not said a word the whole time, and Robin got in the back after Steve. Robin closed the back as Nancy stepped on the gas, clearly sensing the urgency. Steve maneuvered him and Y/N so that she was laying on him, her back to his chest, and he was able to hold her close.

"Steve," Robin muttered, eyes wide even though they were swollen with tears from the whole of the last hour. "She's not awake." She motioned her head toward Y/N, and when Steve leaned around her, he noticed her eyes were completely closed. His heart dropped and he felt sick to his stomach as he tried to shake her awake, watching her chest rise and fall slowly.

"Y/N, please," He whispered to her, a couple tears falling and landing on her skin, dampening it even more. The relief he felt when Y/N grumbled and moved slightly was immeasurable, and he brought her even closer. "Please stay awake. I just need you to keep your eyes open," He begged, heart seizing as she moved a little bit more.

"Steve," She whispered, her head leaning back so she could look at him. "I don't wanna die," She begged, tears falling down her cheeks. Steve felt violently ill at her confession. His eyes were burning with unshed tears and his throat, where he had been choked twice in the past day, was also burning with the weight of keeping himself together.

"You're not going to die," He didn't know how far away they were from the hospital, but he knew they had to be getting close. "I won't let you die." He moved one hand to push her hair back on the side where she wasn't all beat up, kissing her damp skin.

"Where's Eddie?" She muttered, and Steve felt his body go cold.

He couldn't tell her that her best friend was dead, not while she as dying herself. He was afraid that telling her would make her give up, that he wasn't good enough on his own. Eddie and her had been friends for longer than Steve can remember, and if he had a friend like that he wouldn't feel great either. She was barely conscious, and Steve could only hope she wouldn't remember asking.

"We're here!" Nancy yelled as she stopped the car abruptly. Steve thanked every God he knew of that they had made it just in time, and hoped that Max and Y/N would be okay.

"Eddie," Y/N muttered, and that's when Steve knew that she had figured out.

Erica ran around the car to open the back, and Robin jumped out quickly to help Steve with Y/N, who was whimpering and crying out even though she hadn't moved yet.

"Come on, Princess," Steve grabbed her, helping her out of the car. When he pulled her close she screamed out, and that's when the sobbing started. Her cries were loud, so loud that Robin had to run to the bushes and throw up. She couldn't handle the cries and the pain and the fact that it seemed like everyone was falling apart.

Steve held himself together, his sole mission getting Y/N into the building. He held her close, trying to ignore her sobs. She was grabbing his shirt in her hands, and he was struggling to bring her in since she was withering in his grip. He held on tightly, however, trying to ignore the scream she let out as he pressed her wound closer to his body, putting more pressure on it.

"I'm so sorry," He told her, taking deep breaths until he finally got to the front door, where Erica and Dustin were already holding the doors open.

"Help us!" Lucas screamed, and that's when Steve realized he had been holding Max the whole time as well. Steve's arms were aching, but there was no way he was letting go of Y/N until she was in a bed. He looked around, seeing a couple people already coming in from what Vecna had done. Steve wasn't sure what the full extent was, but he knew that the Earth had cracked apart and people were hurt. He just hoped they would be open enough to help her.

"She was shot. She's lost a lot of blood." Steve said as evenly as he could, watching a couple people running around. It wasn't long before two stretchers were being rolled out, one for Max and one for Y/N.

"She doesn't have any allergies that I know of," Steve set Y/N down on the bed, but she was still holding onto his shirt lightly with a shaking hand.

"Do you know what type of blood she has?" A doctor asked, Steve following as the whole crew started moving.

"No, I-I don't know, I can call her house but I-" Steve was rambling and he knew he wasn't helping but he didn't know what to do. He was walking with Y/N, watching her eyes closing as she shook. Her hand was loosening on his shirt, and he felt his heart break as he grabbed her hand instead, shattering as he realized it was cold.

"It's okay. We'll take care of her." With a smile the doctor walked behind doors, doors Steve knew he couldn't go behind. In a daze and without thinking, he squeezed Y/N's hand and kissed her forehead.

"I love you," He finally said, and then she was taken away, and he watched until the doors closed. He watched as her head fell to the side, and he wished she could have said it back.

And then everything went black in his mind.

In reality, Robin was there, leading him to the waiting room. She was talking to him, saying his name, but he was staring straight forward eyes glassy.

Y/N. Max. Eddie.

He was supposed to be the babysitter. He was supposed to keep everyone safe. He wanted to be the hero this time. He didn't want to stay with everyone again, the way he had almost every time something like this has happened. And the one time he didn't stay with the kids, the time he left everyone, people died.

If he had been there, he would have been able to take out Jason. Max would still be alive. Y/N wouldn't have been shot and knocked out.

"Steve," It felt like the world came back all at once, and he turned to see Robin looking at him, eyes wide and tear tracks running down her face. She was gripping his arm, looking at him worriedly. He stood up, and she followed. "Where are you going?" She followed quickly as he began walking away. He couldn't just sit while his girlfriend was fighting for her life.

"Steve!" Dustin yelled, but Steve just walked over to Nancy who was sitting next to Lucas.

"Keys," He held his hand out. He felt empty, as if he were walking in a daze, and he didn't even register why Nancy looked up at him weirdly.

"Why don't you stay here? Wait for news on Max and Y/N." Nancy suggested, concerned. Steve wasn't crying anymore, and his face showed no emotions.

"Give me the keys." He would wrestle them from Nancy if he had to, determination filling his body.

"Where are you gonna go?" Dustin asked. The kid hadn't stopped crying all night, and if Steve were thinking clearly he would have told him to drink some water.

"To kill Jason," Clearly he wasn't thinking in any capacity. The gasps that everyone let out didn't deter him at all. Maybe he wouldn't kill Jason, but he was going to beat the kid to a pulp.

"Jason is dead," Lucas muttered, and for some reason that broke Steve.

"I need to get out of here." He said, walking toward the door, but then he was on the floor and everyone was screaming and he realized that maybe he should have been checked into the hospital awhile ago because the blood on his jacket was not all Y/N's.

"Steve!" He heard Robin scream, but he couldn't move. The pain was consuming him, both mental and physical, and he wanted to yell, to get up and find Y/N but he was glued to the floor.

Steve was sure he was not waking up.

~

He doesn't know how he got up. He doesn't know how he got to where he is now, sitting in a hospital bed. He doesn't remember anything, even as the doctor is telling him that he had a severe panic attack, that the wounds on his torso weren't infected and would heal fine but what animal was it again? Steve just blinked as Robin lied, said it wasn't an animal but a couple of bear traps, that they were being dumbasses and they knew better now and did they have any updates on Y/N?

"She'll be okay. She should be able to walk very soon-" The doctor cut herself off when there was a commotion down the hall. People were yelling, and there was screaming. Familiar screaming.

"Shit," Steve muttered as he sat up, watching Y/N come through the door, teeth gritted. She was favoring her right leg, but she was quick to get in the room. By the time the nurses got to the room, Y/N had already made it to his bed.

"They told me your room number." Y/N smirked as she climbed over Steve, wincing to be able to lay on her right leg on the other side of him. He smirked as he put an arm around her, looking at the outraged faces of the nurses and doctor.

"How did a GSW outsmart and outrun you?" The doctor asked the two nurses.

"She's very sneaky." One of the nurses said, and the three simply walked out, the doctor rolling his eyes and looking like he was seriously considering leaving and never coming back to this hospital.

"We're gonna make it out of here." Steve told her, kissing her forehead. She smiled as she moved slightly to look up at him.

"We already have."

//

tags:  @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @roxaya @sadbitchfangirl @gloryekaterina  @oblivion-void @alexshaff2002 @m-rae23 @mads-weasley

[mudwerks]

Road Floozie - Robin Hood Press UK - Darcy Glinto - 1950

Darcy Glinto was a pseudonym used by Harold Ernest Kelly.

London : Robin Hood Press, 1950. Second edition. “She was Irish and her hot blood could not submit to the steamy confinement of a machine shop and the baiting of the vicious old forewoman. She cut loose ...”. First published in 1941 – both author and publisher were found guilty of publishing obscene books at an Old Bailey trial the following year, the present book characterised as “coarse and brutal”. Kelly was heavily fined (£100 at 1942 prices) and remanded in custody until payment had been made.

[frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe]

i'm outta my head over you Pt. 7

prologue (Pt. 1) | Pt. 2 | Pt. 3 | Pt. 4 | Pt. 5 | Pt. 6 | AO3 | playlist

this is the last chap of my steddie week fic!! i have a little blurb i may do for tomorrow's open ended prompt, but for now, here's the last @steddie-week prompt: misunderstandings

Robin stops him as they’re herding the gremlins into their respective vehicles. You’d think that after nearly five hours of spending the four barely adults’ money would be enough time at the arcade. But no. They’re all fighting them on leaving. As if they all won’t be asleep by the time they get home.

“Once you get it done, you may want to get up early.”

“Uh..what?”

“Steve always goes for a run at like ass o’clock in the morning.” she’s speaking low and fast to try and not draw attention to them, but their normal level of volume with one another is normally 100 times louder than this, so she’s really doing the exact opposite. “If you get up early enough, you can leave it for him while he’s gone.”

“Okayokay, I got it! Now stop making this weird.”

She looks around to find Steve already staring at the two of them questioningly.

“Oh shit… OKAY, YEAH, GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DATE EDDIE.” she practically yells.

“What the hell, Robin? I don’t have a date!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure it’ll be great!” she’s walking away already, shrugging like even she doesn’t know why the fuck she said that. “Call me when you’re home!”

Eddie smacks his palm against his forehead and turns to his van, not even daring to look at Steve again.

He finally does dare once he’s in his van and has started moving, giving Steve a ‘nothing wrong or weird here’ wave as he pulls away.

The expression on Steve’s face is indiscernible. Somewhere stuck between totally blank, and the most devastated look he’s ever seen.

Damnit, Robin.

He only ended up with Max in his van on the way back, so when they get back, he helps her inside, and resigns himself to staying up all night to finish the tape.

He pulls in next to Wayne’s truck at the same time his uncle is coming out the front door, a dufflebag in hand. 

“You off to work early old man?” and he asks as he gets out of his van, it’s only about 9 PM now and his uncle doesn’t usually go in until near midnight. 

“Yep, gettin’ some dinner with the fellas before we head in. Gotta leave shift early to go visit yer aunt.”

Ah. “That time of year is it?”

“Yep, I’ll see ya tomorrow evenin’, son. Don’t be getting into any trouble, y’hear?”

Eddie just shrugs. “You know me.”

“That’s exactly my point.” Wayne says with a crinkly smirk.

He gives his uncle a short hug, and Wayne kisses the top of his head with another ‘be safe’.

Then, because he’s agonizing about it, Eddie spends the next couple hours cleaning the trailer instead of picking the last two songs that will go on his side (listening to said tape while he does).

He’s still got some ideas from before, but only a couple good ones..and not all of them will fit in the time he’s estimated is left on the B side.

It isn’t until he gets to Be My Baby on his second listen through that he knows which one he’s going to add next.

After he’s got that one figured out and recorded, there definitely isn’t enough room left for the rest of the picks, so he adds the one he thinks says the most about how he feels about Steve, the one that says everything he needs to say.

-----

“Robin did say ‘ass o’clock’,” Eddie says to himself, glancing at the clock in his dashboard.

5:13. Yeah, that sounds right.

Eddie lets out a huge cracking yawn. Okay, he’s definitely gonna crash once he gets back to the trailer. He was so wired after finally finishing the tape, he couldn’t sleep even though he wanted to.

He makes it to Steve's street and parks up the road a bit (not wanting the rattle of his van to alert Steve to his presence if he hadn’t left yet), and walks the last leg. The tape in his pocket feels like it weighs a million pounds.

When he finally rounds the bushes at the front edge of Steve’s yard, Eddie feels every cell in his body seize up at once.

Nancy’s car is in the driveway.

What the–

Suddenly, the front door opens. He dives back behind the bushes, peeking through the leaves. You know, like a sane person?

Why the fuck is Nancy leaving Steve's house so early

Why is Steve only wearing those tiny fuckin’ shorts?

Oh no..

Oh shit.

There’s only one fucking reason

This is all wrong! Nancy knows he has feelings for Steve, was that not what that was at the arcade?

She’s with Robin, she didn’t refute it.

Oh fuck, he’s gonna have to tell Robin.

Eddie debates making himself known, let himself barrel over whatever awkwardness may arise, but he’s still got his heart in his pocket, addressed to Steve.. What’s he supposed to do with that then?

“Oh hey Steve, didn’t see you there! Just came by to drop off your very personal property that your best friend stole for me to defile! Nancy? Oh hey, you’re here! What’s up with tha–”

He’s startled out of his thoughts when the door of Nancy's station wagon shuts, the engine turning over. 

She pulls out, thankfully heading away from where he’s hidden.

Eddie watches until she’s out of sight, then jumps again when he hears Steve’s front door close.

Steve does a few hops in place from foot to foot on his front stoop (still shirtless), and starts off on his run the same way Nancy had gone. Had he been able to see shirtless, sweaty Steve whenever he wanted?? He just goes for runs like this every day? Why had no one told him??

‘Oh fuckin’ hell, shut up, shutup!!’ He yells at himself.

Now what?

Eddie sits in the grass in Steve Harrington’s front yard and stares at the back of his mailbox.

Does he still leave the tape? Of course he should, it is Steve’s tape afterall.

But what about the songs? Steve’s not gonna want his bullshit now…

He could go back to his van and re-write the note then come back and leave it. No, he wouldn’t have time now, Steve’s athletic, yeah, but Eddie’s been frozen in his front yard for a while now. He’d be back soon.

Fuck it. 

He’ll drop the tape on the front step, go back home and pack up his shit. Yeah. Good a time as any to get the fuck outta here.

Confessing your feelings to one of your closest friends who very obviously just got back together with his ex not even ten hours after you’d seen him and were very obviously flirting with each other?

Yeah. Not ideal.

Does he have the funds to get the fuck outta here? No. But he’s got enough for gas and he’s got a van. He’ll just load his mattress into the back and be gone before the rest of the town fully wakes up.

Good plan, Eddie’s brain. Thank you, rest of Eddie.

-------

Steve slows to a jog once he can see his house, cooling down from his run on the last little bit of his road, and stopping in his driveway to do some stretches back to the door.

He’s sinking down into his last lunge when he sees the little square of…something…sitting on the front step.

“The hell?”

He stoops down and picks it up, turns it over. There’s a piece of lined paper rubber banded around it.

Peeling off the band, Steve steps inside and unfolds the letter, leaning back on the now closed front door to read

“...oh no…” Steve looks down at the case in his hand. Now he sees why the rubberband was necessary, there’s another folded wad of papers shoved into the cassette’s case, now popped open without the band holding it together.

His heart, previously calmed down from his run, now beat wildly in his chest as he unfurls the short stack of paper.

He reads the first line, ‘8. I Was Made For Lovin’ You...’

“Holy shit.”

Steve books it up the stairs, he’s gotta get showered, he’s gotta get changed, he’s got one more song to add to the tape.

-------

Eddie’s just finished packing up his clothes when his alarm clock radio goes off, the 7am alarm still set for when he has to get up for school.

“...still don’t believe it, he was just leaving OH there must be some misunderstanding! There must be some kind of mistake…” blasts through the tinny speakers.

Nopenopenope, not dealing with that right now.

He slaps the clock around until it finally shuts off its maniacal teasing, and goes back to packing (and blinking away some wayward tears).

He’s just dropped the second bag of clothes and his sweetheart in her case by the front door and is contemplating if his mattress would actually fit in the back of his van, when there’s a knock on the door.

Eddie’s gut freezes mid-flip.

Oh no. Please n–

“Eddie, are you there? It’s Steve. Can I come in?”

‘Don’t move. Don’t make a single sound. Maybe he’ll think you’re not home and just leave.’

“C’mon man, I know you’re in there. You’re van’s out here.”

“Shit.”

Eddie trudges his way to the front door and opens it.

Even with floppy, just-washed, hair and an inside-out polo, Steve’s still the most beautiful person in existence.

“What do you want, Steve?” Wow. Even he’s surprised at how morose he sounds.

“I uh, I got your tape..my tape? I got your note. I added one more song and I thought, maybe, I could–” Steve looks down. “Are you..” his voice pitches high so he clears it. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Mhm.” Eddie can’t look him in the eye. He stares at the porch.

“Where are you–”

“Just going, ‘kay Steve? No need to worry about me being around anymore.” Eddie practically spits, still not looking up at his friend.

“Eddie, what are you–” he cuts himself off, his voice going soft. “Did you not mean what you said?”

That makes Eddie look up at him. Steve’s gaze is now cast downwards, staring blankly at Eddie’s packed bags.

“...I meant every word. Every song, Steve. But that doesn’t matter now, does it?” he’s truly mad now, who does he think he is, trying to act all glum like he wasn’t the one betraying his best friend.

“B-betraying my best–Eddie, what the hell are you talking about?”

Damn! He said that out loud.

“Just go away, Steve. I won’t tell Robin, but you definitely should.” Eddie moves to close the front door and turns back towards his room. He doesn’t hear it close, but he hears the creak of the floor when Steve follows him in.

Of. Course.

“Tell Robin what, Eddie? I already told her how I felt about you, that’s why she stole you the tape in the first plac–”

“Not that! You–” Eddie clenches his fists at his sides and spins back to face Steve. “That you hooked up with her girlfriend last night.” Steve’s face pales and Eddie continues on. “Yeah. I came by to drop off your tape; Robin thought I could leave it there when you left for your run. But lo and behold, what do I see when I come by? Nancy Wheeler’s car in your driveway at ass o’clock in the morning.

“Now, I may be a third time senior, but even I know what the fuck that means. Especially when, not long after I’ve gotten there, the Lady Wheeler herself waltzes out the door with Tiny Shorts McGee following her like a lost puppy.” he gestures at Steve, who’s still frozen in place by the door.

“So yeah, you can just burn those notes for all I care, I don’t even know why I still left it. Whatever. I’m leaving today anyway so you don’t need to worry about me pining hopelessly after you, ‘kay?”

Eddie’s chest is heaving, his eyes are burning with unshed tears, and Steve…starts laughing.

“I fuckin’ knew it!” There are tears spilling freely out of his eyes now. “You’re really good y’know, had everyone fooled. Even me! King Steve is alive and well, everyone!” Eddie spreads his hands wide and yells to no one.” I can’t believe you got me to fall for your good guy schtick. Get the fuck outta my house, Harrington.” Eddie points to the door, stalking forward.

“Eddie! Eddie, wait, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed.” Steve puts his hands out and Eddie stops, crossing his arms and glaring. “Eddie, please, Nancy was only dropping something off for me.”

“Yeah righ–”

“She was! She came by that early because she’s driving to an interview this morning at a paper in Indy. She knew I’d be up for my run anyway, so she stopped to give me the revisions she made to my–you know what, hold on. I’m calling Robin.”

“Steve, I told you to get the fuck out of my house, not go further into it.”

Steve ignores him and goes to the phone, giving Eddie as wide of a berth as he can while he passes. He picks it up and dials.

“I’m not fucking kidding, Harrington, get the fuck out of here–” Eddie’s anger is multiplied tenfold when Steve holds out a finger to shush him.

“Hi Mr. Buckley, this is Steve. I’m sorry to call so early, but can I please speak to Robin? There was a last minute change to our schedule…thank you.’

Eddie watches Steve’s face morph from his customer service expression, to an admittedly frightening pissed off smile when Robin apparently gets on the line.

“Hey Robin! I found my Eddie tape! It’s the funniest thing, I came back from my run and it was sitting on my doorstep.”

Eddie can hear the muffled sound of Robin’s voice coming through the earpiece.

“I know, isn’t that crazy?” Damn, Steve’s passive aggressive voice is…something else. “He must’ve dropped it off while I was gone..why wouldn’t he give it to me in person?”

Steve waves at Eddie to come closer, and when he stubbornly doesn’t, Steve rolls his eyes and comes to him, stretching the cord across the kitchen as he does.

“Hmmm...maybe.. Or maybe something scared him off?” He takes in an over-dramatic sarcastic gasp. “Or maybe, my best friend and soulmate who stole the tape for him, told him to come by at the exact worst time! When she knew a certain ex of mine and current girlfriend of hers was stopping by before leaving to Indy and it scared him off!”

Steve tilts the handset out from his ear so Eddie can hear..there’s complete silence on the other end.

“That would suck, don't you think? Seeing your crush’s ex leaving their house early in the morning when you’re coming over to confess to them?” He continues.

“Oh. My. God. Steve!! I am so so sorry I–”

“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to Eddie.”

Steve grabs up Eddie’s hand and wraps it around the handset, forcing him to take it, then stomps off into the living room.

Eddie puts the phone to his ear and walks back to the receiver, Robin rambling in his ear the whole way. 

“--ddie, I’m so so sorry! I totally forgot Nancy was dropping off Steve’s paper this morning before she went to her interview! Please please don’t be mad at me, actually, scratch that. Be super mad at me, but definitely not at Steve, okay? I should have remembered, I should have told you, I should hav–”

It’s effective, he feels the anger draining out of him. “Robin, Robin! It’s okay, you’re okay.” Eddie glances over at Steve, who’s pacing up and down the short length of the trailer’s living room. “But now I have a very pissed off Harrington in my house right now…you got any survival tips for me?” he mumbles lowly.

“...Oh! I know, just go over there and kiss hi–her–stupid!” Eddie snorts through his nose, her parents must still be nearby.

“Got it, I’ll try that. Thanks Birdie…for everything.”

She sighs in relief. “You’re welcome, Doofus.”

Eddie slowly hangs up the phone, and turns to where Steve is. Now stationary, he’s got one hand on his hip, and the other is rifling through his hair nervously.

‘Yep. Buckley’s right.’

Eddie takes a deep breath and crosses to Steve in three short strides, grabs his face in both his hands, and kisses him deeply.

Steve responds immediately; he wraps one arm around Eddie’s waist, his large palm centered squarely on his lower back, and one around his arm, lacing his fingers into Eddie’s curls and cupping the back of his head.

Steve pulls their bodies flush and cants his hips into Eddie’s, tugs a breathy moan from Eddie’s throat when the hand in his curls tightens.

Eddie’s nose is pressed uncomfortably into the space between Steve’s nose and cheekbone with how close they’ve smushed themselves together, but Eddie can’t find it in himself to care. 

He’s kissing Steve Harrington. 

There’s a strong thigh slotted between his, and Steve Harrington is kissing him back. 

Eddie moves one hand down to clutch at Steve’s shirt, and pushes the other back, grabbing onto those short hairs on the back of Steve’s neck.

They finally come up for air after one too many teeth clashes, their foreheads coming together.

“Hi.” they breathe out at the same time, chuckling at the absurdity of it all.

“We’re kinda idiots, huh?” Steve says, looking cross-eyed between Eddie’s eyes. The hazel of his eyes sparkling with the movement.

Eddie chuckles. “Dingus and Doofus, remember?” he points to each of them in turn, only lifting his pointer finger out of the grip on Steve’s shirt to do so.

“Can I play you the last song now?”

and then they low dance in eddie's living room

Yay!! that's it, thanks for following along with this one!!! here's the last tags :o) @hellomynameismoo, @messrs-weasley, @manda-panda-monium

Here's some notes since it's the last part:

this is the most I’ve ever written in such a short time, I literally wrote each of these chapters the day before their day to be posted….most of it while at work lmao

Steve used a Sony C60 tape. i.e. there’s 60-ish minutes of space on it. before At Last, the songs on the tape totaled 55 min 55 seconds, a perfect amount left for Etta James (ending up at 58 min 54 seconds in total according to my spoofy playlist).

I know that the Eddie half of songs weren’t really…’Eddie music’, but in my head, Eddie likes music for being music. All music is good (like he said to Max in part 5). Plus, he wanted to put songs on the tape that he knew Steve would like/want to listen to.

steve asked nancy to make revisions on his nursing school application essay (he found he quite liked the process of taking care of eddie and wants to go to school for it!)

anyone else just recently realize that Take Me Home Tonight had an allusion to Be My Baby?? anyway, love that, wanted to make that a thing here :o)

and lastly, a couple of little things i LOVED about this fic that i didn’t see anyone else / only a couple people point out:

Steve singing the rubber duckie song to Eddie in part 5

Eddie literally giving Gareth the shirt off his back in part 2 when Tommy threw his pop on him (in my head, this is the same red buffalo check flannel that Gareth ends up cutting the sleeves off of and wears in S4).

that's all!! thanks for reading, friends :o)

[yellowbunnydreams]

The Blood Runs Thicker (part 6) ~vampire!William Afton x F! Reader~

~100% totally not using this darker fic to vent my frustrations over a paper....totally not...~

Tag-List; @ruh--roh-raggy @randymeeksisafinalgirl @sleepy---head @robin-the-enby @hungrhay @likoplays @slxsher-whxre @nicolezghostz @spiderlilytengu

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Want more or something different? *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

CW:Minors DNI, (18+ ONLY), Female Reader, legal age gap (Reader- 20's, William - 50's), graphic acts of violence, biting, knife-play, blood, blood-drinking/licking, mention of dead children, anaemia. Graphic description of injuries. The suit stays ON

The car ride back was predominantly silent, and you were glad that there was nobody on the roads as you tried your best to navigate using William's car. He'd simply chucked the keys at you and grunted shortly after the incident at the pizzeria, assuming you knew how to drive. It was lucky that you knew some of basics, but you tried to avoid moving or adjusting things like the seats in case it angered him that you were messing this with stuff. Michael had also climbed into the back-seat, clearly intending to come with the pair of you.

William had clearly gotten off lighter, somewhat thanks to the suit you suspected, you could already make out where the skin had turned pink and started to knit back together painfully slowly. Whereas Michael had clearly taken William's wrath full throttle, shuddering as he poked his tongue through a hole that had been torn into his cheek, exposing his molars in the glow of the streetlamps as you passed them. You weren't even sure both of his eyes were intact, his face too bloody and distorted from being hit by the older man to tell. Something told you that you didn't want to know.

"Left here." Afton growled, his tongue moving to where the tooth had been ripped from his gum as you quietly complied, turning down the long gravel drive and through the trees towards his home. You heard shuffling in the back, making you glance quickly through the seats before focusing on the road again.

"All this time, and you come crawling back here." Michael chuckled, if you could call the gurgling, wet sound emerging from his distorted mouth a laugh. You could almost hear the eye roll from William in return.

"I could say the same about you. After what you did."

"You're one to talk, dad." Michael flipped off William, who responded in kind, a sickly grin on his face as the car pulled up to a stop and you climbed out. Opening the door for William and feeling him roughly bumping into your shoulder as he headed for the house, allowing you to move around to Michael's side and open the door for him. He gave you a bloodied smile before he reached into his pocket, pulling out a black cloth mask and pulling it on over his ears, hiding the gruesome sight from you. He grunted as he tried to stand, his legs giving out slightly and you reached out to catch him, slinging one of his arms over your shoulder.

"Leave him, he's only gone and done it to himself." William called to you, standing impatiently in the doorway, arms folded across his chest as he observed you trying to shoulder some of Michael's weight and help him walk towards the house.

"Do you want him bleeding all over your gravel or do you want him inside?" You snapped back, earning a huff of annoyance and watching as William disappeared inside, slamming the door loud enough to make you flinch, even from across the drive.

"Thanks....You don't have to help me if you don't...don't want." Michael panted, groaning as he shifted against you and tried to keep his weight off of you whilst allowing you to help him.

"He's a prick, and you're in bad shape."

Michael gave another wet sounding laugh at that, finally making it to the porch and letting his weight slump down against the wood. Making you yelp as you were dragged with him, his arm shot out to catch you and prevent your body slamming down however. You were surprised at how strong he seemed to be, even as his body shook gently, clearly in pain and struggling to function as normal. Turning his body in a few slow careful movements, looking out into the emerging dawn and sighing as he tried to run his fingers through his matted hair.

"So why are you with him, if he's such a prick?." He asked, glancing at you from the side with his one good eye. You noticed in the light how they were a more greenish grey compared to William's blue-grey, but you could see some of the resemblance in the face he had left.

"You think I put myself through this all voluntarily?" You scoffed, pointing to the red mark on your neck, the bruising on your jaw and pulling down the shoulder of your top to reveal the bandages there, as well as lifting the leg of your shorts to show the other one there. Michael's eyes flickered to each, but didn't remain long, as if he was afraid of what he would see if he did.

"I did wonder why you were wearing those clothes despite the fact it's freezing out here." He chuckled, sighing again and leaning forwards on his elbows, looking at his knuckles and studying the damage done to his hands. Brow furrowing as he noticed a few of his fingers bending at an unnatural angle, reaching for them and grunting as he grabbed them and pulled. The faint sound of bones grinding against each other hitting your ears and making you grit your teeth as they moved into a more normal position, watching as he wiggled his fingers to test how they moved afterwards.

Carefully, Michael took off his jacket and placed it around your shoulders, the size swallowing you up and your cheeks heating up as he did it, revealing a now extremely bloody white t-shirt beneath it. You opened your mouth to protest, feeling how wet and sticky some parts of the fabric were against you, but Michael waved his hand dismissively as if sensing your protests.

"I don't need it at the moment, but you definitely need the heat." He nodded to you, his eyes crinkling slightly as you assumed he smiled beneath the mask.

"He really....I knew he was cruel but..." You couldn't find the words to express it, and Michael laughed bitterly. His shoulders shaking slightly as he turned his head towards you, tilting it slightly.

"Do I look that bad?"

"I mean... Surely you saw in the rear-view o-or the mirrors on the car." Trying to be polite with him, but raising an eyebrow as he shook his head, chuckling again before it devolved into a small coughing fit. Seeming to take a few deep breaths to recover from the effort before he spoke again.

"Can't see myself in mirrors. He can't either if that's some solace about the narcissist. I'm guessing you've not been here long."

"About a week. Wait, you guys can't see yourselves in mirrors?" Taken by surprise at the thought that they couldn't, but thinking about it, you had never seen William in a reflective surface, or a mirror during the time you had been at his house. And you never bothered to look in the rear-view during the drive back.

"A week and you've not noticed? Guess he's just been avoiding them. Yeah, we can't see ourselves in mirrors, which sucks sometimes when you need to try and make sure you look human and presentable. I was surprised you didn't use the rear-view and check on us."

"I'm too short for how he has his seat set."

There was a pause and another laugh, Michael slapped his knee and began to cough as he took it in. Your cheeks heating up more as you fought back the urge to smile at it. You felt somewhat relaxed around him, although there was still a lingering sense of unease from the pizzeria and the back-room as well as your mind constantly whispering that he was a predator still.

"Head on inside kiddo. I'm going to stay out here for a bit, and you should get warm. Would you mind chucking my jacket in the wash when you have a chance? I think it may need it." You nodded in response and your hand rested on his shoulder lightly as you stood up, smiling at him as he looked up at you. The faint morning light illuminating just the amount of damage that William had done to him. His own son.

"Goodnight Michael."

"Good morning kiddo." He joked back, turning his attention back to the woods as you opened the door and slipped inside. The house eerily quiet and no sign of William immediately, though you placed Michael's jacket on the counter and headed upstairs, watching the shadows carefully for any sign of Afton lurking for you to wander past.

~~

The day was bright outside once you woke up. No Afton licking at you like a barely contained dog at a steak. No more aches and pains than you had become accustomed to in the past few days. You were almost suspicious of how peaceful the day had started out.

Padding down the stairs, you could smell something delicious cooking. William was a good cook, but he seemed to ignore a majority of seasonings for a reason you couldn't define, putting it down to enjoying your misery a little more each day. But coming into the kitchen, you found an unfamiliar back to you at the stove.

"Michael?" You called softly, watching as he spun around. Reaching for the mask he had clearly washed and placed at the side for when you came down. Your eyes widening as you took a look at him in the light from the window.

Whereas you would have put William into older and handsome, despite being a cruel, vindictive bastard. Michael had clearly inherited the sharp features and strong jaw of his father, but with a youthful roundness still in his face. Thinner brows and lighter brown hair that had a slight wave to it framed his face, and you could see how tall he was too. Not as tall as William, but certainly he would have met or exceeded it one day, although unlike Afton's broad, muscular frame; Michael was lithe and slender.

"Good morning sleepyhead!" He said, struggling to put the mask on over his ears. The hole in his cheek still present, although judging from the dampness in his hair, he'd at least had a shower. The eye had had been damaged still red and puffy, bloodshot, but you could see it moving around and looking now rather than just a bloody mess.

"You've....improved?" You said tentatively, making him pause and blink as he looked at you for a second. Laughing, you felt your own smile coming through at the sound, it wasn't dark and foreboding like William's laugh, but it sounded like what you imagined a big brother would laugh at his kid brother falling over or doing something adorable.

"Well, thank you. I mean, I can feel my face is a little less ground-meat this morning, but it's always nice to have the confirmation." Winking at you, he turned back to the stove and put something on the plate, walking it over to the island and putting it down.

"You can cook?"

"Call it the one thing my dad did right."

You headed for the cupboards, intending to find cereal but Michael's hands settled onto your shoulders, directing you to sit infront of the massive stack of pancakes he'd cooked up, watching as he easily opened cupboards and found out syrup and butter for you.

"T-These are for me?" You ask incredulously, thinking back to the cereal and peanutbutter jelly sandwiches you'd had for breakfast for the past week. Your stomach growling in anticipation.

"Well, I didn't make them to look pretty now!" He laughed again, taking a seat opposite you and watching your expression as you picked up a fork. Digging in and your eyes widening at the taste. You weren't sure how William had made sandwiches and cereal taste bland, but the sugar was an overwhelmingly welcome taste.

"Can you even eat?" You ask between bites, letting your curiosity come through as Michael raised an eyebrow, picking up a spare fork from the counter, taking a stab at the edge of the pancake and popping the piece into his mouth. Covering his open cheek with one hand consciously. Chewing and then opening his mouth, sticking out his tongue to show he'd swallowed it.

"Yep. Well....It's a kinda complex answer. Long and short? Yeah, we can eat, but it doesn't taste like anything unless it's super salty, or heavy in certain things like iron. I can just about taste a blue steak, but it's more like you've just swallowed it and are getting the aftertaste?" He tried to explain, putting one elbow on the counter and resting his chin on his hand.

"So...People?"

"Yeah, that's the fucking awful part. Blood has taste to it, it varies from donor to donor, but it all factors into that person's lifestyle, diet ect." Scrunching his nose and then looking at you curiously. Humming in consideration. "Guessing you're anaemic?"

"How'd you know?" You almost choked on your food, deciding to eat more slowly whilst you talked so you didn't end up choking to death from the syrupy goodness. Michael carefully pushed over a water with his free hand, thanks falling from your lips as you took a sip.

"My father is....a preferential hunter. I would say picky bastard, but at least they have standards. I'm sure you got the same four page long health questionnaire that I did when you applied to Freddy's."

"I always thought that was for the insurance." Michael scoffed at your explanation, rolling his eyes and clicking his tongue. Shaking his head slightly and looking down at the counter, brow furrowed as he lost himself in thought for a few moments. "So...weird question then."

"We're talking about vampirism, and how people have taste whilst my face is half open. I don't think weird quite covers it."

"If blood has taste then it must have a smell too right? So...what do I smell like?"

Michael blinked as you asked the question, scanning your face for any signs that you were joking. You tried to keep it serious as he looked at you, sucking on his teeth for a second before his larger hand gently took yours, pulling it towards him, frowning as he saw the bite marks on your skin before he wiped his hand over them. Wincing as one of the scabs came off and a single dot of red appeared against you, watching as he leaned in close and the way his nose crinkled. Shuddering as his cool breath moved against your skin as he exhaled. His turn crumpling further as he let go of your wrist and allowed you to pull it back.

"Honestly, I can't make out you at the moment. You just smell like my dad. Have you gotten any of your own stuff since you arrived?" Sighing as you shake your head and he stands up, throwing the dishes in the sink with a slight clatter as he grabs a hoodie you hadn't noticed on the chair and pulls it on.

"Come on, we'll get you something better than his ratty shit to wear, and when you get back, you're having a shower."

~~

The bright lights of the supermarket had clearly bothered Michael throughout the trip out, wearing thick sunglasses and the face-mask to hide his still slightly gruesome appearance from the public. Watching as he rubbed his temples and his eyes from time to time, like he was trying to dispel a growing migraine. Pushing the cart infront of you, you had tried to pick some clothes that were comfortable and easy to put on. T-shirts, some jeans, a couple of skirts. Underwear. You still weren't sure what had happened to the set that you'd taken off for your first bath in the house, but something told you that William would deny anything had happened if you asked him.

"Where is he today?" You ask as you looked at body wash, trying to find your usual scent and opening the caps carefully to sniff before placing them back. Michael shuffled behind you quietly, the loud environment and lights taking a toll on him physically and mentally as it took him a moment to respond.

"Probably cleaning the place up. Oh, and 'food' run." He air-quoted food, giving you an idea of what he might be up to. Swallowing dryly before you picked out your necessary toiletries, feeling conscious of how much it was all going to cost, and you weren't even sure where your card was to pay for it all. Michael had already leant you a pair of his jeans from when he was a teenager, and they had been a tight fit. Realising that he's always been a lanky man was somewhat comforting, but you did wonder how long ago that had been for him.

Finishing up quickly, Michael gently bumped you out of the way to pay, much to your protests and especially to your protests as he grabbed the heavy bags filled with various snacks, drinks, clothes and toiletries. Carrying them as if they were nothing to him, although his shoulders visibly relaxed as you both stepped outside into the cooler air, the light much more soft and natural.

"Thank you Michael."

"For the love of god woman, you can call me Mike. But, I do have a question for you." He asked, and even though he was wearing sunglasses, you could tell he was looking at you.

"Alright, that seems a little unfair on you, but ask away."

"Back in the pizzeria, how did you know my name?"

You froze up as he asked, thinking back to the darkness. The bear staring at you from around the shelf with hollowed out eyes, the soft whispering, cold air moving against you like some living, breathing thing.

"Can you please help my brother?"

"There was...I don't know how to say it without sounding utterly crazy." You laughed, swallowing and furrowing your brows as you both walked along the side of the road, Mike standing next to the road and keeping you away from it. Looking at your borrowed shoes before you took a deep breath and talked slowly. "There was..a bear.."

"Freddy, yeah he's kinda the face of the whole thing."

"No, like a yellow one." You watched as Mike paused, stopped dead in his tracks as he tilted his head to look at you, studying your features before nudging you down a slightly worn path towards the woods. He clearly wanted to be away from the road.

"Go on..."

"And there were like...these whispers. I thought I was going crazy, but one of them.. they told me your name, they asked me to help you." You explained, watching the woods draw closer as you heard the bags rustling and suddenly Michael took your hand, squeezing it tightly as he didn't look at you. His head keeping up despite the fact you could feel his hand shaking, your brow furrowing as he kept walking, not saying anything for a few moments before he spoke in a shaking voice.

"Can you do me a favour? If you go back...can you ask them if they can forgive me?" He asked, swallowing softly as he slowed his walking as you approached the wooded area. You gave his hand a squeeze back, confused as to what he would need to be forgiven for, but noticing how whatever it was affected him in ways he wasn't willing to talk about.

"Of course."

"And please don't mention it to my dad."

The rest of the walk was silent, but the coolness of Mike's hand against yours as he clung desperately to you like a scared child was enough to speak to you both.

You were both going home to your own monsters.

[whoahoney]

Hello! I think I would love love to see something about mechanic!eddie written by you

Ahh! I love mechanic!Eddie, he’s so yummy. 😌

Mechanic!Eddie Munson x Reader

Summary: Reader’s shit box car pooped out on her once again, but at least the cute new mechanic seems eager to help.

Content Warnings: adult language, mutual pining, sexual tension, Eddie is a little handsy but we love it 🤪

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The sound of the engine sputtering over the radio snatched her attention from the daydream she was stuck in, her heart lurching in fear.

“No, no, no, please, baby, don’t do this to me.” She whined, patting the steering wheel with restraint from beating the shit out of the horn in aggravation.

“We’re almost to the shop, then you can die in peace, but please, for the love of GOD, don’t quit on me now!” She cried, tears welling up in her eyes and threatening to pour without ceasing.

The car troubles had been endless since she’d gotten the car, but more so this month, also bringing Y/n to her breaking point multiple times. Every time the old Chevelle made this sound, she felt nauseous trying to get where she needed to go.

She avoided this trip to the garage since the last time she drove, which was the to the grocery store. The engine wouldn’t turn over, deserting her and her groceries in the summer heat.

Since then, she’s been hitching rides with her friends, Robin and Steve, who were more than happy to assist her. But she was beginning to feel like a burden.

Thankfully, she finally saved what she hoped was enough to get Loretta sorted out.

So after a week of sitting in the driveway, her owner not positively sure if she’d even start, Loretta turned over, the engine purring like any other drive.

Y/n had cried out with joy at the ease, hoping the rest of the trip would go just as well.

Boy was that a kick in the crotch.

Click click click click

“Shit, no—please, please, please,” She turned the wheel to pull off the road, the sign of the mechanic’s not even 100 yards away.

“NO! NoNoNoNo, FUCK!” She screamed, beating the wheel as cars whizzed past, rocking the unmoving car.

Y/n rested her forehead against the wheel and breathed deeply. “Okay. Okay. Just—let’s go.” She said to herself, hoping the mechanic knew a good tow truck.

The day was hot, the sun beating down on her exposed legs, neck and shoulders, her hair thrown up in a scrunchy to beat the heat.

She went inside looking for the familiar face that sat behind the desk, but the lobby was empty.

Y/n walked through the back door into the shop, hoping to find the regular old man underneath a lift, evaluating the undercarriage of someone’s Trans Am, but the garage sat vacant with the exception of one other person.

He stood by the floor to ceiling shelves which were filled with different bottles of oil and antifreeze and tins of nuts and bolts.

His coveralls were very unbuttoned, exposing the black tank top he wore underneath, a patch over his heart read Eddie. He let out a wonderful sigh as he wiped his brow with his shoulder.

He was bent over the engine of a ford Bronco, a ratchet clicking rhythmically as he tightened something up when he noticed her, his hair all around his face despite the heat.

“Hi.” She squeaked out, preparing herself for interaction with a super cute stranger. His face was friendly, his eyes round and seemingly full of questions.

“Hey, there. How can I help you?” He asked, straightening to his full height and setting down the tool to pick up a red rag, cleaning his dark stained hands as he approached her.

“Hi, uh, i-is Gary here?” She asked, internally cringing when she realized she said hi twice. He didn’t seem to notice or care when he smiled amusedly down at her and shook his head, “Uh, he isn’t here today, but I’m more than happy to help you if I can.”

Y/n tried not to melt at the way he spoke to her, his voice smooth and even. “I-I would love some help, yes.” She nodded, speaking to the best of her ability and leading him outside. “Uh, m-my car has been making these weird noises for—“

“Sweetheart, did you… bring your…car?” He asked kindly when he noticed there wasn’t any other cars besides his own in the lot. Y/n’s face warmed.

“Oh, uh, that’s what I needed to talk to Gary about the most—she’s up the road a little ways. She died on the way over.” She shrugged.

Eddie nodded, new understanding behind his eyes as he craned his neck to see the car on the side of the road in the distance. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” He joked.

He nodded again, walking the few steps over to the switch panel on the wall, turning off the air compressor that typically roared in the back. It was odd to hear the shop so quiet without its noise. They sudden felt so… alone.

“I can, uh, tow her up here for you.” He offered, nodding over to his truck parked out front. It was a charming old white square body that has seen better days, but it was large, and could definitely pull Loretta.

Eddie picked up a very thick chain from the corner of the shop that had a large hook on the end.

“Oh, uh, are you sure? I was just gonna ask to phone a tow truck—“

“Pfft, tow truck…” he muttered under his breath with a smile as he lifted the chain into the bed of the truck. He then stepped over to the door and opened it with a creak. “Here, hop in.” He stood waiting, the sweep of his hand in the air making her smile exactly how he wanted.

“C’mon in… I won’t bite.” He said with a friendly smile that put her more at ease. She hopped in the truck, taking his waiting hand on the way much to his delight.

On the short ride over, Y/n remembered to introduce herself, at which he smiled and gave her his name in return.

“You, uh, new? At the garage? I’ve just never seen you there before.” She’d asked.

Eddie nodded with his eyes on the road, “Yeah, I just started earlier this month. I take it you’re, uh, at the shop often?” He grinned looking at her pooped out car, getting turned around to park in front of it.

“Was it that obvious?” She chuckled as he opened the drivers side door, hopping out after him. “If I say yes, is that mean?” He asked, half joking as he pulled the chain back out, the weight of it in his hands making the veins in his forearms strain against his skin as he walked.

“I-Is there anything you need me to do?” She asked, trying to be polite for the man going out of his way to help her. Eddie smiled to himself as he bent over to hook the chain to the hitch on his truck, specifically for instances like these.

His hair fell in his eyes as he tried to look at her, his hand flying up to comb it out of the way for the thousandth time that day. Y/n noticed his exasperation, “You need a ponytail?” She asked, raising her wrist to feel if she had one on her, which she didn’t.

Eddie’s eye’s lit up at the offer, closely followed by the breath being stolen from him as she pulled the red scrunchy from her hair and offered it to him. He felt like it was one of those moments in the movies where the girl lets her hair down in slow motion, the lighting hitting her perfectly.

“Here, use mine.” She smiled at his sudden change in demeanor. He set the other end of the chain on the ground, reaching out and taking the ponytail from her and hastily wrapping it around his hair in a bun that both caught her breath in her throat and warmed her heart.

“Thanks, doll.” He said as he picked up the chain and felt under the edge of the car for the best place to hook onto, but the chain came up a few inches short. “Think you could back my truck up just a bit?” He looked up from the ground to ask her, one eye squinted in defense against the light. The cute yet simple expression on his face made her want to fight the sun.

“Uh, of course! Yeah. Just a few inches?”

“Just a few inches,” he said reassuringly, “and I’ll let you know when to stop.”

Y/n nodded and walked back to the truck, the sight of her cute little Levi shorts hopping into the cab of his truck made Eddie smile and bite down on his lip as she started his engine.

He stood where he could see her in the side mirror, her smile returning when she caught the view of him grinning back at her as he raised his hand giving her the ‘come here’ motion with a hungry look brewing behind his eyes and a smirk pulling at his lips.

Y/n switched gears and eased off the break, letting the truck roll back slowly, not taking her eyes off Eddie’s reflection in the mirror. She worried she was staring at him too much, but little did she know he was loving the eye contact.

So much so, he sent her a friendly wink through the mirror, the action sending her heart pounding and her foot down on the break, the truck halting immediately. Eddie chuckled, “Little more, sweetheart.” He called, his fingers moving back and forth some more to summon her.

She took a deep breath as she eased her foot off the pedal again, rolling back for a couple more seconds before she heard him say, “There! that’s perfect.”

She put the truck in park and hopped back out. Eddie enjoyed the view as she walked back to him at a determined pace, her hair and other things bouncing with every stride. He hooked onto the front bumper and stood, their bodies suddenly very close.

“Alright, that should get us back to the shop.” He patted the hood of her car approvingly before walking back to the truck and opening the door for her, waiting with a smile.

“Y’know I could’ve just used the passenger door.” She said as she scooted across the bench seat of the truck. Eddie shut the door and turned to her with a playful smile, “Yeah, well, I like to open doors for nice girls such as yourself,” He shrugged, meeting her eyes with a blush, satisfied when he saw she wore a matching one.

“Also, because, that door sticks like no other and probably won’t open even if you tried.” He chuckled, his smile encouraging her to laugh too.

“You, uh, know Gary personally? Or just as your mechanic?” He asked, eager to hear about any part of her she wanted to share in this time they had together.

“He’s been working on Loretta since I got her on my 17th—“

“Loretta?” He asked with a quirked eyebrow, a new smile spreading on his lips.

“Yeah, what about it?” She said with a ‘try me’ smile blooming.

Eddie shook his head with a smile, “Nothing! Please, continue, tell me how you got Loretta.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

After they got back to the shop and unloaded Loretta into a bay, Eddie popped the hood. He peered down inside leaning his hands on the edge of the frame. Y/n sat on a stool to one side of the car with her chin resting on her hand.

Eddie straightened for a moment, relieving some tension in his back and sighing, “You need a new fan belt, babe”. He mentioned passively while poking around inside, the nickname sending Y/n’s heart pinging around inside her body like a pinball.

“Maybe some new head gaskets—I’m gonna see if cleaning them will do the trick, though. Try and save you some money… maybe check the fuel pump too..” he spoke his train of thought, walking around to grab a jack and rolling it to the rear bumper of the car and pumping the long handle, making eye contact with her as he did.

His smirk stayed hidden in the corners of his mouth, telling her everything she needed to know about his angle. She appreciated how kind he was instead of making her uncomfortable, being used men in this field coming on strong. But not Eddie.

His smug smile grew when he caught her staring, waiting for her to break the eye contact, but instead she started giggling which sent him repressing his own. “What?” He asked incredulously.

“I dunno, you make me laugh.” She shrugged watching him grab a couple different tools and laying them out on the ground under the suspended end of the car. His head popped back up with his best serious face he could muster, “Who me?” He asked with his brows drawn together, her confidence shaking.

He stepped over to the radio on the shelf and flipped it on, You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC blared through the speaker as he picked up a stray wrench and bobbed his head for a bit before he began to lip sync into it like a microphone, a smile instantly growing on her face at his antics.

Once he saw it, he couldn’t stop until he reached her, adding in a twirl or a sway here and there which had her giggling profusely. He stood in front of her, the song almost complete, except then she started singing along, encouraging him to sing the lyrics with her.

His eyes and smile widened, holding his hand out for her. As soon as her hand clasped his, she was out of her seat, spinning around at Eddie’s will.

They danced in the empty shop til the song faded into commercials, the busy transitions halting them, he cleared his throat and removed his hand from her waist, their gazes lingering before Eddie blushed and looked back down at the wrench he held.

“I like making you laugh.” He mentioned casually through a coy smile as he stepped back over to the engine and set the tool down next to the others, choosing a screwdriver for the job instead.

She bit back a grin, hopping back up on the stool and enjoying the view. They talked about this and that, random life anecdotes that came up, preferences between music and drinks, which brought them to talk about his band’s regular shows at the Hideout and the ‘bad ass lemon drop shots’ the bartender mixes up special when she mentioned her favorite candies are sour.

Eddie enjoyed the conversation, feeling her gaze on him, seeing her legs swinging easily from the high stool next to the work bench. It all felt so incredibly easy, almost routine it seemed.

At some point she disappeared into the front room, returning with a couple of cold sodas from the vending machine.

As Eddie rinsed the head gaskets in the deep shop sink, he snuck a peek at the girl over his shoulder, finding her adoring eyes on him with a smile tugging at her lips. His cheeks burned before he turned back around and set the parts to the side to dry, walking back to see her, yet again.

“How’re you holding up, sweet thing?” He asked, his voice picking up a gravelly quality with the end of the day nearing. He leaned his hip against the table, his eyebrows raising as she set the can of coke in front of him.

“For moi?” He set a hand to his chest. “A scrunchy and a coke, you sure know how to treat a fella.” He winked as he popped the tab, tilting the can back for a generous glug that bobbed his Adams apple.

“Thank you, really. I’m hoping this does the trick.” He gestured to the head gaskets drying and the newly installed fan belt.

Truth be told, he was taking his sweet time on this little four hour max peoject, loving the time spent with the pretty girl in the short shorts that said nice things and smiled at him the way she did.

“Can you show me?” She asked, looking at the exposed engine of her beloved Loretta. “What, the new fan belt? Yeah! C’mere.” He waved her over.

“This is where the fan belt is, without it your engine isn’t getting any power, so the way your old one looks compared to the new one—“ He picked the abandoned, ragged serpentine belt from the ground to hold up to her to see. Her eyes went wide with embarrassment.

“Oh god.”

“Have you ever had it changed?” He asked with a chuckle, tossing the rubber back to the side and crossing his arms across his chest, his forearm grazing the top of her breast as he did. His smug smile gave his eye a mischievous gleam that felt teasing.

“N-Not that I know of.” She stumbled quietly, a blush on her cheeks that she could still pass off as the summer heat. Eddie tsked and chuckled at her shy disposition, her face towards their shoes that almost stood toe to toe.

“This old girl is gonna need regular maintenance if you wanna keep her on the road for a few more years.” He said with a shrug, stepping back to the other side of the car to grab the head gaskets to put back. Y/n looked back up at his retreating figure to take in the information.

‘Fuck.’ She sighed.

“But, uh, I make house calls if you’re interested! Y’know i-if you can’t make it out here.” He faltered, looking down at the metal in his hand, suddenly unsure of what to do with it.

Her heart leapt in her chest as she met his eye again, the look on her face a green light if he ever saw one. He smiled and set the gasket back down, moving back towards her.

He reached over on the workbench, finding a pencil and notepad usually used for writing job estimates, and wrote his phone number down, signing it with ‘if you need me -Eddie Munson (:’

He folded it in half and handed it to her, her breath slowly getting heavier the longer he looked at her the way he did.

“Or if you ever want to hit up the Hideout and get drinks or.. if you need a dance partner… I’m your guy.” He looked between her beautiful eyes and tried his best not to get lost in them while waiting for her to say something.

She smiled as she slid the paper in her pocket, nodding. “Y’know, I’m always in need of a dance partner.”

Eddie almost blanched at her response, not being a dance club kinda guy, but willing to try for her if it meant getting to be near her again. “Oh, yeah?” He asked nervously, her arms landing on his shoulders as her hands clasped at the back of his neck, his hands not hesitating to wind around her waist.

She giggled and nodded, “Well, if you count getting a little messed up and dancing around my living room… yeah, I need a dance partner desperately.” She said quietly in the space between them.

Eddie smiled widely and dropped his forehead against hers tentatively, only leaning in fully when she raised up on her toes to press hers against his. “I’d be more than happy to help you there, it’s the least I could do, you know, I’ve never had this much fun changing a fan belt!” He revealed with his eyes closed, delighted when he felt her giggle ring out against him.

“Yeah, well, I definitely don’t do this with Gary.” She joked with closed eyes, smiling when he threw his his head back in unbridled giggles.

“Oh, god, I sure hope not.” He shook his head down at her her, noticing immediately her eyes were on his lips. “Y’know.. I was thinking if you let kiss you I’d consider the job paid for..” he said quietly, his shyness coming back in to play.

Y/n’s eyes flashed excitement or intrigue, though Eddie couldn’t be for sure. “O-Or I could take you out first, yeah? W-Whatever works—“ She cut him off by pulling him down to her, their lips moving in tandem.

He sighed into her softness, his hands winding around her waist as he felt her raise up on her tip toes and lean into him. He loved how his nose felt pressed into her cheek.

She broke the kiss after thirty seconds, lingering close, looking back up to his deep dark eyes that stared back at her, a smile working onto his face.

“Or… why not both?” She smirked.

He nodded, “I like the way you think.” He said before pressing one more quick kiss to her unsuspecting lips. “Ha! Got one more.” He said as he slipped out of her grip to reassemble the head gaskets, her eyes following him everywhere with even more intent now.

It was then she noticed how cute his butt was in his jumpsuit, or how good her red scrunchy looked keeping his hair out of his face. He made his way back to Loretta, setting the freshly clean and dry parts on a towel on the tool box next to him.

She’d look away shyly when he’d try to steal a glance at her, both of their mouths tucking away bashful grins as he worked in their comfortable silence.

Thirty minutes later, the moment of truth came. Eddie’s heart pounded against his chest as sat behind Loretta’s wheel, worried if he didn’t have it fixed she wouldn’t be impressed and tell him to forget their plans to meet for drinks or whatever else it could lead to. He glanced to Y/n before turning the key in the ignition, their eyes locking when the engine only clicked.

Eddie’s jaw dropped disappointedly, looking at the dash of the car in betrayal. “Damn it.” He muttered, trying again to be met with the same outcome.

Y/n walked around to the driver door, looking at Eddie with a half hearted smile, “It’s okay! I can definitely pay for head gaskets…. and drinks” She nodded assuringly. Eddie looked back up at her with wide eyes, “Really?” His facade fully dismantled, the worry prominent on his face.

Y/n cocked her head in disbelief and leaned down to the window, her eyes scanning over his face, “Y’know you could’ve caught my car on fire and I would’ve still gone with you to get a drink? I mean you’d definitely be paying, but—“ before she knew it, Eddie was leaning through the open window and pressing his lips to hers in another tender kiss.

He felt her smile into him and her hands found his face, pulling him closer. He placed his worn hands over hers, wanting to stay in her touch as long as possible before they parted.

“I will be needing a ride home, though. So if you’d like to help me out there I’m prepared to compensate you generously.” She said widening her eyes for emphasis and biting her lip.

Eddie lit up, popping the door handle of the car immediately and exiting, rushing over to his tool box to close everything up before halting and turning back to her, “Wait, you know you don’t have to do any of this right?” He asked, approaching her with his eyes narrowed a little.

Y/n nodded, “And you know you don’t have to either, right? I’ve been saving for a while, I have enough cash to—“ He cut her off with a tight hug.

“No, no, keep your money!” He urged as she giggled, “If you pay for parts every once in a while, I’ll fix your car for free as long as you stay so sweet and keep me company when you can… deal?” He asked next to her ear as she giggled.

“Deal.” She beamed at him as his stomach growled, “Now take me home, I wanna make dinner for this super cute mechanic I met today.” She looked at him expectantly as she messed with one of his buttons, eagerness filling his eyes.

She watched him finish up, the boy like an eager puppy rushing from place to place, looking up every once in a while to check and see if she was still there, which every time she was.

After he flipped off the lights and locked the front doors, he stepped out of the garage, his new friend waiting for him as he tugged the long rope that connected to the giant rolling door, closing the place up for the night.

“There we go.” He said satisfied, dusting off his hands before throwing his arm around her and walking her to his truck to take her home as if he’d done it a thousand times before.

[king-calycanthus]

It’s 1994, just over 10 years since their first brush with the Upside Down. 

Steve still lives in Hawkins, in a little house of his own on the outskirts of town. His life isn’t wild or exciting but he wouldn’t want it to be. He’s had enough of that, to be quite honest. No, he’s comfortable and safe and, most of all, he’s happy.  He’s got a nice job in town, coaching at the middle school, and volunteers at the community centre when he can. Somehow, he’s once again found himself to be a beloved figure in Hawkins, but instead of the weight of his high school crown and the cruelty that came with it, it’s because the town knows him as someone who cares, someone who puts himself out there to help and support the community. The kids come and go, so do Robin and Nancy. Only Max, Lucas, and El still live in Hawkins, but Steve sees everyone else often enough.

He misses Eddie. Of course he does. Between touring and recording new albums and photoshoots and interviews, there’s not much time to come back to Hawkins since Corroded Coffin got big. Still, they call regularly and Eddie sends him the cheesiest ‘Wish You Were Here’ postcards from every stop on the road. Steve has a shoebox full of them, and his favourites are stuck to the fridge with colourful magnets.

The most recent tour ended a few weeks ago, but the band is in LA writing a new album that Steve knows he’s going to listen to on repeat as soon as he can get his hands on it. Last time they called, Eddie told him he wouldn’t be back until Christmas, and Steve finds himself wondering if July is too soon to start counting down the days. School is out for the summer so he’s bored out of his mind and at a complete loose end, so his mind constantly wanders to the calendar. He tells Robin as much when she calls, and is only slightly perplexed when she asks him insistently if he’s sure he’s got absolutely nothing on for the next couple of weeks. Yes, he’s sure he doesn’t. There’s refurbishment going on at the community centre so there isn’t even anything happening there. Robin ends the call with a cryptic ‘just making absolutely, completely, 100% sure’, before hanging up and going off to enjoy the rest of her vacation in Europe.

A few days later, just as Steve is settling down to sleep, he hears the sound of a vehicle pull up outside his house. From the amount of noise it makes, he knows it has to be something big. Before he can get the chance to check it out for himself, though, there’s a tapping on his bedroom window.

When he pulls back the curtains, he’s shocked to see Eddie standing on his lawn, pelting rocks at his window like they’re teenagers in a movie. Behind him is what can only be Corroded Coffin’s tour bus, with all its fancy custom decals and tinted glass. Eddie is grinning widely and Steve finds that it’s contagious as he opens the window and leans out.

“Eddie, what the hell are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be in Cali!”

“I thought I’d surprise you.”

Steve laughs, unable to contain his joy at the ridiculous theatrics.

“It definitely worked. You brought your tour bus?” he asks, incredulous.

Eddie’s eyes sparkle in the summer moonlight.

“Well, it’s no Winnebago, but I figured it would do the trick.”

Steve’s heart stutters in his chest. He’s never quite been able to live down his ‘six kids and a Winnebago’ comment, but he knows that Eddie knows exactly what it means to him. And, in turn, Steve thinks he knows exactly what Eddie is trying to say with such a grand gesture.

“What do you say, big boy? Still up for that road trip?”

Surely the question has to be rhetorical, because they both know there’s only one answer.

[lawbin-archive]

The future of Law and Robin

Hi everyone - if anyone is reading, this is my first time posting here. A newbie :D I opened this blog to archive my analysis of lawbin since there are limited characters in twitter. And I just want a space to rant about lawbin.

Before you scrolling down, for non-manga readers, please aware that there are spoilers below.

And for non-lawbin shippers, please aware that this is NOT completely logical and I have bias on them. So if you dislike lawbin, please just don't read.

I'm gonna talk about my prediction for Law and Robin in the future. This is very theorize and has a very high chance that it might NOT came true. But I still wanna leave an archive here.

So what's the relationship between Law and Robin now?

Logically, I would say they are good friends/comrade that share the same goals. I think they made a deal with each other about poneglyph. I will elaborate later.

But if i have my bias on, I would say they are little bit more than friends. Because Robin is the only person Law voluntarily told his real name. Because Law searched entire flower capital to find Robin. Because Robin teased him he's following her by sniffing. Because Robin is like ageyo when she said "no fair" to Law. And see how Law walks awkwardly here, it's like he's embarrassed that Robin found he's following her.

really looks like two people who are slightly flirting with each other :/

whoops -

back to the deal theory. I believe Law and Robin might be collaborating on looking the last road poneglyph. And the collaboration is still on after they separated. Because Law and Robin both knew that they have the same goal and finding the same thing (the Will of D). Law needs Robin to decipher the poneglyph in order to reach Laugh Tale and learning what's the meaning of D. So why he's looking for Robin before he left Wano?

Because he wants to collaborate with Robin even after the alliance ends. Wait - they are already collaborating already? I think so and I will elaborate later. First of all, why do I think he's looking for Robin and not for poneglyph? Because Law can't read poneglyph, even he followed her won't do any benefits to him. The only thing he can do is just stand behind her and watch her translate the poneglyph exactly what he did in the manga lol Why would he do that without any purpose? He can just wait for Robin to give the translated poneglyph to him. It's not like Robin will hide it anyways. The only information he learned there is Pluton, but he didn't know about it before he followed her and he can't do anything about it because Momonosuke is the only one can control Pluton. So I think Law is looking for Robin here.

You can also say maybe he's just interested in exploring poneglyph and want to learn more about history, so he accompany her. Or he saw she's not with straw hats so he went to protect her from CP0. (yah - those are from my delulu mind)

You might ask why didn't he find Luffy? Because Robin already told him that Luffy don't care about the Will of D, so he needs to collaborate with someone having the same goal.

And you might also ask, why didn't Robin told Luffy? Because it doesn't matter to Luffy and the deal wouldn't affect him become the king of pirates. Robin hides a few secrets from her crew - Shirahoshi is Poseidon, the poneglyph in Alabasta stated the location of Pluton is in Wano, Sabo is still alive...etc. Not that because she doesn't trust her crew, I think it's just she think telling them won't help the situation and I don't think the straw hats really care. And for Sabo, I'm 100% Luffy would want to find out himself instead of from someone.

Oda did intentionally hide Law and Robin interactions during Wano, only half way through Wano, we found out that Law and Robin actually talked about the Will of D and his real name. Law is someone who will make plans to reach his goal. So I think there's definitely more Wano interactions between them.

One more thing to prove this is - When Robin and Brook initially searched the Palace for poneglyph, they couldn't find any Road poneglyph there. Robin thought that the road poneglyph must be on Onigashima. But she didn't go look for a poneglyph in Onigashima She can literally told Jinbe or Brook that she needs to look for poneglyph and wonder off. Why she didn't?? Kin'emon's plan also won't be ruined without her and her disguise outfit would be perfect for her to search. And we found out - Law was the one who's looking for poneglyph in Onigashima.

My thought is that they exchanged their information before reaching Onigashima. And Because Robin was looking for Poneglyph in the Palace, Law will be the one who is searching in Onigashima.

So, what's the deal between them? To be honest, I don't know. So far I can only come up with exchange information for last Poneglyph? Or maybe when Law found the last poneglyph, Robin can keep it but needs to decipher for him? (Law doesn't have Big Mom's poneglyph, so even Robin translate for him, he won't be able to reach Laugh Tale)

It needs to be something that Robin didn't need to tell Luffy or the crew. Or maybe she did told them but just us readers don't know.

Lastly, why I still think the deal is on? and not just ended with alliance. Because of this scene-

Law and Robin reacted differently about the man who marked by flames. Law looking dim and Robin was just curious. In the anime, we have an interaction that Robin is looking at Law. But I'm not 100% sure that's the right interpretation. Base on the manga, Robin might be looking at Law or just simply curious about Kid saying "the man who marked by flames". And Law reaction just might be he stopped to listen Kid because it might be a hint about poneglyph. I think Oda intentionally put their reaction together to make it seems like they are both related to it. I think that's one of the hint that they are collaborating.

Is Law hiding something here? Maybe. I think the deal Law and Robin made, it's just fair that Law needs to be the one who finds the last poneglyph. Otherwise, it doesn't seems fair to Robin that they need to find the poneglyph and translate to him. So it might be he knows something about the man marked by flames and didn't tell Robin. But I don't think so? Because Law can give the information to Robin, even Robin found it, she will share it with him because he gave her the information. He even gave a poneglyph to Kid and saying they deserved one too. So why would he hide a secret?

I actually think a lot of times asking myself and think oppositely. Maybe they are just sharing information during Wano and didn't contact after. But it just makes so much more sense that Law needs to collaborate with Robin to achieve his goal. I mean there's a person who can decipher poneglyph in front of Law. And his personality is planning everything ahead. So it make sense he at least leave some contact with Robin to be able for him to learn the Will of D. Even he found the last poneglyph himself, there's no way he could decipher it. Of course there are other ways but I just think Law won't miss his chance to build a connection with Robin before he left Wano.

So how do they contact each other? Den den mushi is a must. They need to talk to exchange information. And possibly, vivre card. It's not really possible, but my delulu mind said Law might left a vivre card for Robin to let her find him or make sure he's alive.

Finally, what we can expect in the future for Law and Robin? - they might contact with each other about poneglyph - it might reveal that they have been collaborate since Wano - they might fight together to find the last poneglyph - they might go learn the Will of D together in the future Since they have the same goal, to me, it's just make sense they found the meaning out together. However, I think it might take sometime before they meet each other again. Plus, they both got hurt now :( so we really need to be patient and wait for their interactions again. I really hope we can see at least once in 2024! (I doubt we will tho)

That's the end of the post. Thank you for reading until the end! (If anyone is read it lol) In the future, I will post more analysis about Law & Robin.

[robinsvoid]

‧₊˚✩ robin buckley + aftercare!

p. robin buckley x fem!reader

request. aftercare with robin!! makes my heart flutter everytime i think about it ;(( shed probably so nervous. would be running around asking if you want her to get anything for you. snacks, movies, drinks ANYTHING. SHE. WILL. GET. IT. FOR. YOU. but honestly you’d rather just cuddle her!! after you make it clear you dont need anything and just want to spend time with her she would still have her mind racing 100 mph ;(

content warnings. MDNI (18+). mentions of sex, fluff. wrote it like a blurb :> also not proofhreeeeaf

aftercare with robin. yes. please. robin would stare at you, eyes scanning over all of your features and all of your movements. your soft skin slightly glossed with sweat, the way your chest rises up and down as you catch your breath, your body shaking underneath her touch. she had so many things she wanted to tell you, so many things she wanted you to hear. but, right now you looked so… beautiful. she couldn’t help but take a moment to just admire her girl. and she misses the first couple times you called her name out. she would be so distracted, and enchanted by your presence, like she didn’t just eat you out for hours a couple minutes ago. robin blinked. it was so long. she blinked again, this time pulling away and sitting up for a moment to look at her surroundings. the sun had already set, the street lights outside her window was on, she failed to notice how dim it had gotten already. and you. in her bed. still trying to even out your breathing. shit, shit, shit. she would think. is she okay? was i too rough? did i do it right? is she hungry? does she need anything right now? her mind races even faster than usual, still subconsciously staring at you.

“robin… robin!” the sound of your voice pulls her out of her trance. “can we just—“

“are you okay? did i do okay? are you thirsty? you might be thirsty. i think you’re thirsty. lemme go get some water! i’ll be right back!” robin dashed right out of the room as soon as she pushed herself of you, and maybe tripped over her own converse that she left scattered on the floor and definitely running around her empty house only in her underwear.

you barely had a chance to answer her and even if you wanted to, she was talking too fast for you to even interrupt. so you lay there, staring at the ceiling chuckling to yourself silently as you think about your girlfriend. she was always extra-extra-attentive when it came to the after sex routine. you always tell her that you just want to lay with you after, but she can’t help the fact that her brain runs a hundred miles per minute; always wanting to give you the things you like, keeping you hydrated, giving you a massage (occasionally). she wants to do everything for you, would do anything for you, knowing how spent you were. she just wants to take care of you, practically babies you kinda.

robin comes back with her arms full of snacks, a wet towel, and water bottles like she had just raided her pantry and took everything in it she could hold, and dumps it down near the side of the bed. with the wet towel in her hand, she moves the blanket to clean up the mess you made in between her legs. every time she does this, her heart flutters. and she’s nervous, hands trembling only slightly as she presses the cool fabric to your skin, wondering if she did anything you didn’t like, or if she went too far, or if she, god forbid, hurt you. when she finishes, she stands by you, watching you lay on her bed and lets out a breath. it was almost like she ran a mile and stopped to take a second to breathe. you can’t help but smile at her and robin just melts at the sight.

“i, uh, i put some pizza in the oven. it won’t be done for like twenty minutes, though, and we also didn’t have the snack you like so i had to improvise. luckily we had these. we really need to go grocery shopping. the house is like empty. but the store is like right down the road so i can get on my bike and get whatever you want whenever you want,” robin points to the pile down on the floor, a sheepish smile playing at her lips, before grabbing one of the bottles of water with her shaky hands. “but, first, you should some drink water! one sec, lemme open this.”

“robbie…” you say tenderly, failing to grab her attention for the first few seconds. “robin. slow down for me a little bit, baby? i don’t need anything else, rob, thank you.”

“huh? oh… yeah, yeah. okay.” she scratches the back her neck and smiles at you as you reach over to hold her hand, intertwining your fingers with hers. “sorry, i just… get all excited… when i’m with you…”

“i know, baby...” your lips curve into a smile, “come lay with me? please?”

robin stares at you again, wondering how a person as sexy and beautiful and brilliant as you could be asking her such a thing, in her bed. and how can robin buckley ever turn you down when you ask that? “of course, babe.”

she would immediately climb back into bed with you, pulling you close and letting you lay your head on her chest, listening to how fast her heart was beating and you can’t help but swoon. she holds you firmly, keeping you in place as if she was afraid you’d disappear, only to have you snuggle even closer. robin also loves to play with your hair when you’re pressed against her and run her fingertips along your jawline and down your arm and anywhere your skin felt sensitive, because it makes you sleepy. it makes your heart full knowing she still gets nervous and flustered when she’s with you, and how much she wanted to take care of you. robin is so in love; she would do anything for you. ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ

note: to the anon who requested this i will b doing them one by one! i hope u see them and will answer the req with links once i’m finished! ty for requesting <3

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