#Some years instead of the movie I let my mom and step dad go the movie while I take a nap

[maeamian]

Saw Ferrari on Christmas as part of our ongoing tradition of being not at the big tiring family gathering the whole day, and I gotta say if you're thinking of seeing that one: don't fuckin bother. The story is unsatisfying, the acting is solid but lacking, the action is impossible to follow because the main rival to Ferrari is Maserati and they both use Italian Racing Red so you gotta memorize the car numbers if you want any sense of the race, the main character is deeply unlikable and his character arc is literally nonexistent: he shows no growth whatsoever over the course of the movie, the cinematography is the visual equivalent to a picture book for five year olds of all the shots there were like two that were at all interesting, and the ending is deeply unmotivated like who even fucking cares?

[munsonsreputation]

Soon You'll Get Better

Chapter Three: Neon Kitchen, Bright Sky

↢ chapter two | series masterlist | chapter four ↣

summary: Max can never seem to catch a break and things are no different when Billy's dad comes back into the picture. When everything takes a sudden turn and the one person who was supposed to have her back fails her, you and Steve don't hesitate to step in.

word count: [16.7k]

: ̗̀➛ pairings: big-brother!steve x max & big-sister!reader x max

: ̗̀➛ romantic pairing: steve harrington x fem-college-student!reader

: ̗̀➛ warnings: angst, physical altercation, mentions of slapping, cursing, billy's abusive dad, mentions of death (billy), bruises, and mentions of absent parents (max & steve)

“Get the fuck out!”

Her shouts echoed against the walls of the trailer, resounding off the metal as she pointed at the door and stood face to face with the man she didn’t want to see. He snarled at her, face practically red as he turned to her mother who stood off to the side, not daring to get in between them like she should’ve been doing in the first place.

“Are you going to let her speak to me that way?” He asked ridiculously knowing that she didn’t have a backbone, and when it came to him, she would ultimately betray her own daughter.

The thumb she had been biting down on dropped from her mouth, shaking her head vigorously. She turned to her daughter and looked at her with wide, pleading eyes.

“Maxine, he’s staying. End of discussion.”

Max rolled her eyes, glaring just as harshly at her mother for this bullshit that she was putting her through. The last thing she needed was to see her former stepfather right before her eyes, claiming he was back in their lives all of the sudden. The same one who abandoned her and her mother after Billy died and couldn’t even be man enough to stay for his funeral.

What possessed her mother to think that Max was ever going to let this slide was beyond comprehensible. Maybe it was some sort of mid-life crisis she was going through or desperation, but over her dead body would she allow this man to live under the same roof as her and her mother after everything that had happened in the past.

Max clenched her fists to her sides, reminding herself that she wasn’t going to get physical no matter how angry she was. The most important thing that she needed to do was try to stay somewhat composed and get it through her mother’s head that this wasn’t going to happen.

“No, he isn’t! Did you forget everything he put us through? What about what he did to Billy? All those years of abuse and you’re letting him back in!” She protested, unclenching one of her hands to point brutally at the man who towered over her.

Her mother wasn’t a stranger to the abuse Billy’s father had inflicted on his son. Verbally, physically, and psychologically — he was horrible to him, the same way that Billy had continued the cycle and was horrible to Max.

She looked down guiltily, shaking her head as if she was trying to believe her own lie, “He—He’s changed Max…you don’t know how hard it was for him to lose his son—”

“And I lost my brother! I watched him die with my own eyes, so what about me?”

Max didn’t mean to get emotional so quickly, but it felt like this was all something that was building up from last week’s events that were just as heavy as this. Even more so, she wished she had spent the night at you and Steve’s apartment, taking you both up on that movie night you had suggested, but instead she picked to stay home for once and try to spend more time with her mom.

Just for the night to turn into this bullshit.

Billy’s dad swatted at her pointed hand, slamming it back down to her side where she clenched her fist, wondering if this was a free pass for her to plant it towards his jaw — but she stayed calm, ignoring the stinging feeling on her skin.

“You’re the child and we’re the adults, you obey us!” He roared, causing Max to flinch slightly, yet she knew this game he was playing.

Threatening — the same thing he used to do to Billy.

But if there was one thing she learned from her late brother, it was that sometimes the best thing to do was strike back…with words of course. Because while his father usually always started it, Billy was the one to finish it.

“You’re not my fucking father and I don’t have to obey shit you say.”

She didn’t mean to look so smug after she said that. Max was actually supposed to be putting on that signature glare, but she couldn’t help it. Watching the sorry excuse of a man’s face drop before her and the vein in his neck nearly about to combust over the harsh truth she had spat right at him.

SLAP!

But the palm that connected with her cheek surely replaced the smugness with shock. Tears instantly pricking at her eyes as her hands clutched at the skin that prickled with a hundred nerves burning beneath the surface.

Her mother gasped, but not daring to scold the man for his actions, too frightened to do so. Instead, trying to grab at Max’s wrists to pull them away from her cheek in order to assess the damage that had been done, but that wasn’t what Max wanted of her.

She wanted her mother to scream.

To yell.

Fight back.

Tell him to get the fuck out of her home.

Call the cops.

Put him in jail.

Then hold her in her arms and apologize.

But she didn’t.

Max nudged her mother’s hands away, blinking wildly, and the tears rolled down her skin.

“It’s me or him.”

The ultimatum she laid before her mother should’ve been an easy one to answer. Obviously her blood, the girl she had given birth to and raised all by herself seemingly fine before she met Billy’s dad.

But the only thing in the eerily quiet trailer was now silence.

She could see her mother’s hesitation through the blur of salty puddles in her eyes. The eyes that darted between her daughter and her ex-husband’s, as if he was worth more than her even after she was the one that had stuck by her mother’s side and held her up even when she couldn’t even keep herself together.

All of this for a man.

Max swallowed the lump in her throat, disappointingly shaking her head as she brushed past her mom, heading down the narrow hallway to her bedroom, slamming and locking the door shut. There was no way in hell she was going to spend the rest of the night or the upcoming days with him in her presence.

She wasn’t going to before and she sure wasn’t going to now after he had just put his hands on her. Easily, she could’ve reached for the phone that laid on her bedside table, dialing El and asking for her father to come down to the trailer park to arrest the son of a bitch, but the first thing on her mind was getting out.

And she knew where she was going.

Stuffing a drawer full of clothes into her duffle bag, it was enough to last her a few days before she would need to borrow some, but it would do for the meantime. The excess space was filled with her childhood stuffed animal: Bubbles the Dino and the rest of her tapes and Walkman that would get her through.

She zipped up the oversized jacket that once belonged to Billy, pulling the hood over her head, hoping this was enough to keep her warm for the journey. She walked out of her bedroom back into the living room where he was still berating her mother as she sat on the couch with her head in her hands not knowing what to say or do.

Max didn’t pay them any mind, heading straight to the front door so she could make her exit before anyone tried to stop her. The creaking of the hinges prompted their attention, but she was already down the front porch steps before they could move.

“Maxine, you’re not going anywhere!” Her mom hollered, frozen in the doorway with the man right behind her.

Max rolled her eyes once more, hands tightening on her bike handles as she turned her head and looked towards the one person who was supposed to choose her all the time.

“You can both go to hell.”

With that, she ascended on the night, leaving everything that she thought was supposed to be her home behind her. The tears she had been holding back to avoid humiliation now falling out of her orbs and rolling against her cheeks. Her feet pedaled faster as each second went by, hoping to get to her destination before it was too late.

Your body twitched at the sound of knocking, eyes slowly blinking to unblur them from the sleep that overcame you suddenly. The movie that you and Steve abandoned still playing through the television while your boyfriend slept soundly beside you with Ollie cuddled to his chest.

“Steve,” you yawned, stretching your arms out and nudging his shin with your foot.

He moved slightly at the contact, groaning out without opening his eyes. Another set of knocks sounded through the front door and this time you were sure it wasn’t the movie playing tricks. Your heart raced instantaneously, not knowing what was real or not.

“Steve, someone’s at the door.” You hissed sharply, letting your arms fall to his chest where you shook him firmly.

His face scrunched up, one eye opening to see you hovering above him looking back at the door, “Baby, it’s just the movie—”

Another set of knocks followed, this time accompanied by a small voice just loud enough to pierce through the wood of the door.

“Are you guys awake?”

Neither you nor Steve could mistake her voice. Instantly worried, you didn’t hesitate to jump up from the couch, startling Ollie who jolted up from his slumber and raced towards the front door where you were already unlocking the latch.

Steve threw off the blankets, blindly shutting off the tv and slapped on the light switch, brightening up the living room with the yellow fluorescence.

You pulled the door open, Steve right beside you as you both were greeted by the anxiety inducing sight of Max all cried out with her bags weighing her shoulders down.

Her cheeks were a bright crimson, which you would assume was from the cold of the night, however her bloodshot eyes told a different story that it was a combination of the weather and crying. Her lips looked frostbitten, almost chapped as the soft teetering of her teeth rang in the wind.

“Hey, it’s okay…get in, c’mon.” Steve ushered, reaching out and grabbing her wrist gently as you opened the door wider and wrapped your arms across her shoulders where you could feel her shivering.

She instantly dropped her bags, letting them rest on the floors as she collapsed onto the couch. Her elbows going to rest on her knees as she covering her face with her hands.

You were next to her in an instant with Steve reaching over to grab the stray blanket, draping it over her body as he sat on the other side. His hands squeezed her shoulders over the thick fleece in order to try to warm her up quickly, hoping she wouldn’t catch a cold.

You caught his eyes, quietly voicing your concern, as he nodded swiftly and looked back down at her. Soft sniffles coming from behind her hands where she was trying to hide it.

Not that Max ever liked crying in front of both of you, but she never tried to conceal it like she had been doing now. It all seemed so odd and out of character for her as she knew you and Steve would always be all ears in a heartbeat and listen to whatever she had to say, but not tonight.

“Max, honey, tell us what’s going on.”

Your voice was on the verge of pleading, not knowing how much longer you go could without knowing what had her this upset that she had to bike all the way here.

“J—just some stuff a-at home.” Her voice gave way.

Stuff at home could mean many things and you both knew that Max and her mother weren’t necessarily on the same page considering how their relationship had faltered with her mom prioritizing work more than raising her daughter.

Steve gulped, rubbing his hands over her shoulders warmly. “You can talk to us, bug. Could’ve called, and I would have come over and gotten you… it’s dark out and—”

She pulled her hands away from her face, swiping her fingers along her cheeks harshly before looking up at the two of you and nodding, understanding your concerns.

“Billy’s dad was over… he came back.” She said dryly, moving her eyes to her lap not knowing how you both would receive it after so long with him gone.

The silence was telling. Clearly the two of you were shocked seeing as though Billy’s dad, Neil, left before his son’s funeral procession, leaving it all up to Max’s mom who was devastated and had to deal with two losses she wasn’t anticipating.

“H-he’s back?” You stuttered, swallowing back your distaste as you kept your focus on the girl.

“He showed up while I was at arcade and my mom let him in and n-now she’s saying that he’s gonna stay with us and I—I just…I couldn’t….I w-won’t.”

And like that, her chest rose nimbly, tears beginning to well in her eyes once again before she could even try to piece together her broken words that already told a story of their own. Hunching over, her face found solace behind her hands again and the cries rattled the walls of the apartment and broke the hearts in your chests.

Steve leaned closer, guiding her into him as support. “Bug, take a deep breath…in and out, you got it. Everything’s alright, we’re right here.”

His hand rubbed her back gently as you cooed more words of comfort. The two of you working together to try to ground her and make her feel as safe as possible. Neither of you took it personally when her cries didn’t die down and only got heavier, a kind of sadness that you knew she was feeling deeply and needed to feel instead of trying to fight back.

If your hearts were just broken by the scene of her so frantic, you couldn’t begin to imagine what she was feeling. Her breathing only got more ragged, struggling to catch it with her mind racing with the flashbacks.

Steve noticed the signs before Max could even fathom them, rising up from the spot next to her, he hurriedly charged towards the kitchen for a glass of cold water and a warm rag before he was back at her side in an instant.

“Shhh…s’okay, let’s get you a sip of water yeah?” His fingers wrapped gently around her wrists, bringing her hands away from her face, as he showed her the glass.

She sniffled roughly, nodding her head as she took the cup from him — the water that had been beading around the surface meeting her hot hands zapped her nerves, bringing her back as she gulped it down. The warm rag rested on the back of her neck calming her down a bit as the hiccuped cries began to shallow out while the seconds passed.

She had nothing to be afraid of when you two were here right beside her. You both had seen her at her worst and even then neither of you left her side. It was going to be no different now or ever, even when she was unsure of it all. She had you both and that was what mattered most to her.

You took the empty glass away, placing it on the coffee table, “You wanna talk about it some more? Or we can talk in the morning if you—”

“He hit me. J—just slapped me once, but still…”

She dropped it like glass, letting it shatter without trying to cushion its fall because there was no way of doing so. The truth was all she had left in her and the sting on her cheek was a biting reminder of what he did and most importantly what she didn’t deserve.

The room was quiet, only Max’s sporadic sniffles and the whirling of the ceiling fan above you filled the heart-stopping silence. So many things spun through your heads, questions that Steve wanted to ask, and answers that you desperately wanted, but all you could muster to say was—

“I’m sorry.” You exhaled at a loss for words, skeptically reaching for her hand as she nodded and slotted hers in yours giving you the permission.

She squeezed yours securely as if she was trying to reassure you, like you were the one who needed the strength as you sat there and broke internally, trying to stay strong when you knew you were moments away from breaking down but that wouldn’t be fair to her — not right now.

Steve pulled his brows together, confusion splaying his features despite the anger brewing inside of him.

“What did your mom do?”

He knew her mother wouldn’t let anything happen like this slide, sure she had taken the hits from Billy’s father herself and watched helplessly when Billy became the punching bag, but she couldn’t have just sat around and watched him do the same to Max.

“Nothing.” Max said quietly, nearly hushed as she did, too ashamed to say it out loud because that would mean that her mom became the enabler of the behavior she swore she’d never tolerate.

The silence was even louder then. More questions wanting to be asked, on the tips of your tongues just pleading to be babbled out, yet you both could tell that now wasn’t the time.

Max was clearly traumatized, put through something incredibly heartbreaking yet was sitting right before you as stoic as ever — not feeling anything inside because she’d been so numb to the feeling of sadness and disappointment for a while now.

You swallowed the lump in your throat to keep from crying though your voice still cracked.

“Y-you’ve had a night. Why don’t you take a hot shower and take our bed tonight? Ollie can cuddle with you, yeah? He’s missed you so much.”

“Please.” she said, nodding at you with a sullen face.

You nodded, standing up and reaching out for her, “C’mon, let’s get you some clean clothes.”

You wrapped your arms across her shoulders, guiding her along to your bedroom in hopes that a goodnight’s sleep would bring her a dream to forget about the real life nightmare.

Steve ran a rough hand up and down his face, sighing heavily as his chest ripped out a quiet sob not knowing how something like this could happen. He’d done everything to protect her to the best of his ability and the one place that should have been her safest, her home, was the place she had been hurt and the one where he wasn’t at to shield her from it.

He tore his hands away when he heard the bedroom door shut softly, followed by your hushed cries that made its way closer to him. He stood and wrapped you in his cages, letting you cry every angry and heartbroken tear you had out.

“H-How could she let that happen?” You tried to keep your sobs down, letting them die against his clothed chest to prevent Max from hearing it, but you couldn’t help but to feel so helpless and frustrated.

Steve could only hold you, cooing away your anguish and wiping the tears away because there was no answer he could give you. Everything in his soul wanted to tell you what he knew and give you all the answers in order to piece it all together, but there was nothing left to piece.

The harsh reality was that something terrible had happened to Max, and no one tried to stop it.

“Everything is gonna be okay,” He told you, holding your face in his hands as he thumbed away the remnants of tears. “She has us and we’re gonna stick by her side and try to make this better.”

It was the only thing in Steve’s soul that he knew right then to be true. You both were always going to be there for her and if it took months maybe even years to right this situation, then you’d both be there every step of the way, no doubt about it.

“I know.”

His lips pressed in a tight line, giving you a firm nod, making sure that you were alright before he spoke, “I gotta go for a little, okay?”

You stared at him confusingly, not knowing where he would be off to at this hour. “Where?”

“Clear my head.” He said it plainly eyes dead set on yours.

You read between the obvious lines, knowing exactly where he was going. There was no use in trying to stop him because you knew he had his mind set on the very thought of making sure things were done right by Max, no matter what it took.

He was her protector and in many ways he would do anything for her — even kill if he had to.

You grabbed at his hand, squeezing it in a stern yet tender manner, “Promise you won’t do anything stupid? Max needs you, you know that.”

To be quite honest, he feels that he needs her more than she does him. Steve didn’t know what he’d do with himself if Max had suffered worse tonight. The slap itself left a bitter taste in Steve’s mouth, but if Max had shown up battered and bruised, he’d be sure that a death wish would be granted tonight.

Despite his anger and the things that he could do to make him pay, there was a way to get it done, and he wanted it done the right way so that Max wouldn’t need to suffer more than she already did.

He cradled the back of your head, pulling you into a hug, nodding his head against the top of yours and placing a kiss there.

“I swear, just… just make sure she gets some sleep, and you, too. I’ll be back in a bit.”

You locked up as he gave you one last look through the screen door, mouthing, “I love you,” before you shut the wooden door and he was jogging down the steps towards the car park.

The second he slammed the door shut, the shouting began as instantly as the salty tears he’d been holding back poured from his eyes. This wasn’t about him and the last thing he wanted was for Max to hear and worry about his own wellbeing when she was supposed to put herself first.

“Son of a bitch!”

He cursed, beating his palms against the steering wheel, breathing hard as he cried, so heated and disheartened at the world because why did it have to be her?

Why couldn’t the universe give it to him?

He could take the anger, he could take the hits, he could take it all and deal with it if it meant that Max got to finally go a day or two without worrying when the next breakdown or anxiety attack was going to occur.

She had already gone through so much and she deserved for it to be over by now.

“She’s okay… she’s okay, c’mon Steven.” He roughly wiped at his face, sucking in deep breaths, talking himself through it.

He started the ignition, his foot pressed firmly on the pedal as he made his way to the trailer park, his mind echoing the faces of you and her — the people he needed to make it back home to safe and sound.

It was a scene, Hopper police car parked out front of the trailer with its driver’s door swung wide open and the vehicle still running, headlights flashing brightly. The neighbors who should have been asleep were wide awake, gathered outside their homes, and rightfully so when there was a ruckus going on.

“Where is he?” Steve demanded loudly.

He didn't even bother to take the keys out of the ignition, placing the car in park behind the police car and hopping out to get his hands on the suspect.

Across the Mayfield trailer lived Eddie and his uncle Wayne, the both of them taking notice of Steve’s presence, aware of how close he and Max were and how he must have known something that the entire park didn’t.

“Fucking shit…” The metal head cursed, throwing his cigarette the ground and calling out to his friend, “Harrington! C’mon man, let the chief handle it!”

Eddie's voice was nothing to him. Steve instead made a beeline for the front door of Max’s trailer, bursting through it, catching everyone off guard. Her mother looked as though she had seen a ghost, Billy’s dad was confused with the intrusion, and Hopper knew that something was about to go down from the death stare Steve was wearing.

The only thing Steve heard in his mind was the voice telling him to get him.

“You son of a bitch!”

Lurching across where Hopper stood, Steve threw a fist in the air over towards the disgrace that sitting on the couch acting holier than thou beside a mother who failed her child.

He hoped it connected, spreading pain across his jaw for payback, yet the arms of Hopper and his friend Eddie encase his effort, hauling him back with all their might.

“What the hell, kid? Are you out of your mind?!” Hop shouted.

The flimsy notepad and pen dropped to the ground, and he hastily grabbed ahold of the boy whose fist was millimeters away from connecting to Neil’s jaw.

“Steve, that’s enough! C’mon, relax!” Eddie attempted to deescalate the situation, knowing it wouldn’t do Max or you any good if Steve left there in handcuffs.

“Did you tell him, huh?” Steve spat, still struggling in the grips, glaring at the two on the couch.

Neil sat up, pointing a finger at him.

“Listen, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you better get—”

“He hit Max.” Steve declared, completely stopping the struggle and moving his eyes towards Hop who stared at him confused, tight grip loosening only so that he could move and look back at the man.

“That true?” He asked, raised brow taking in a sharp breath.

Neil scoffed, turning to look at her mother, who sat emotionless, neither confirming nor denying the accusation, but she was just as guilty as him.

“Chief, I have no idea who this boy is… we called because our daughter is missing.”

He tried to lie, looking over at her mom with the most sincere and worried look that would’ve been convincing had Steve not seen right through it.

The audacity that the man had to call Max his daughter when he was barely even a father to Billy? It only made Steve’s blood boil even hotter, the anger dissipating into something uglier that dared to do more than just sock the son of a bitch in the jaw, but to make sure he never saw another waking day.

“She’s not your daughter, and she isn’t missing. She showed up at my doorstep crying her eyes out after she biked miles to come and tell me and my girlfriend that you put your hands on her and you did nothing about it.”

His eyes skimmed from the man to the woman, who guiltily broke into tears, covering her face knowing that the truth had been unveiled. Steve would have had more remorse for her if she at least defended her daughter and tried to do something to stop it. But knowing that Max stood in that very spot in the trailer almost an hour ago left with no one to help her made his fuse blow short.

The cries of the woman nearly set Neil off, turning back to her with a hardened look on his face like he was silently threating her to shut up before he gave her something to really cry about. Yet with the presence of the other three in the trailer and the neighbors that began growing curious with the shouts — he caught himself whipping his head back to the men, staring indifferently.

They could hear a hairpin drop with how eerily quiet the trailer became after Steve’s admission. Eddie cursed under his breath, closing his eyes as he got filled in on what he missed. Hopper swallowed so thickly, not knowing if he was going to put Neil into cuffs or give him a taste of his own medicine first.

The chief knew something wasn’t adding up when he got the frantic call from her mother. Sure, Max was a rebel at times, but even then, the chief knew that the girl wouldn’t just up and leave in the middle of the night for no good reason.

His daughter was her best friend, and they told each other everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly — granted he never liked to stick his nose in anyone business, but El had always voiced her worries for Max and that stuck with him, especially now.

And Hopper was a father himself, a true and present one. It just didn’t add up that Neil had bailed when his son died and now that he had returned, it just so happened that Max had run away.

Neil spoke lowly eyes shooting daggers through Steve, “You ain’t got any proof,” he started before turning his sights to the one wearing the badge.

“And even if it was, don’t you ought to agree, chief? Children who give their parents lip should be disciplined?”

Hopper and Eddie tightened their holds, feeling the small inch that Steve had moved, ready to lurch once again, but he stayed glued to the floor, knowing neither of them would be letting go.

“Is that why you hightailed it after Billy died? You lost your punching bag, so you decided to leave only to come back and try to make Max your next?” Steve seethed, not letting the fire die out so quickly.

“Shut your damn mouth!"

The man stood, pointing a sharp finger at him, but Hop pushed a hand out, creating distance between the two.

Steve scoffed a sarcastic laugh, eyes squinting pointedly. “Or what? You’re gonna hit me too? You’re a fucking deadbeat disgrace of a father who should’ve been the one in the ground, not your son.”

He knew what he was doing, granted it wasn’t the original thing he had planned to do, but if Steve was right about the kind of man Neil was, it would only be a few more seconds until he would strike.

“Don’t talk about my son,” Neil warned, stepping closer and ignoring the hand and demands that Hop gave him to step back towards the couch.

Steve jutted forward just an inch, smirking because he knew what exactly he was going to say next.

“So I can’t talk about him, but you could beat him to a pulp?”

The pang isn’t as nearly bad as it could’ve been seeing as though Hopper had tackled the man to the floor the second his fist grazed his cheek.

The entire trailer shook with the tussle happening on the ground, cursing flying off the walls as Hopper held his hands behind his back and pressed his cheek roughly to the ground.

Eddie stumbled back, arms remaining wrapped around his friend, wringing his face forward to check for damage. “You good, man?”

“Fine.” He replied, running his tongue over the inside of his cheek, only a slight sting that would probably become a little bruised by morning.

“Shut up, Neil. You’re under arrest for assault.” Hop grunted, clicking on the metal cuffs as tightly as possible.

Even as victorious as it should have felt to see him getting what he rightfully deserved, Steve didn’t feel an ounce of victory knowing that Max had gone through what she went through tonight. At the end, something terrible had happened and now it was going to be about her working through it.

Eddie pulled his friend out of the trailer, fresh air being breathed in followed by the gasps of the onlookers who didn’t know what to make out of all of it. Making their way to his car for some privacy, Steve leaned against the door, rubbing at his face while Eddie stood in front of him, arms crossed not knowing what to say.

“H-how is she?” He dared to ask, wondering if it was too touchy of a subject or not.

Steve looked up, frowning with a shake of his head. “Not so great. Did you hear anything before she left?”

Eddie shrugged, trying to remember anything that stood out, but the trailer park was used to fights and yelling but never to this magnitude. If anything, everyone around there avoided calling the cops as much as possible.

“Just a few shouts, but nothing too clear. Her mom started knocking on every trailer, asking if we saw where she went and before you know it Hop was here.” Eddie replied.

Steve nodded still trying to piece together everything. Both of their eyes trailed back to the trailer, as Hopper read aloud the Miranda rights, walking the cuffed man to the police car.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.” He spoke before throwing him into the backseat, slamming the door to finally silence the hissy fit Neil was throwing.

The man was obviously exhausted. The last thing he wanted to do after he had already clocked out for the day was to drive all the way to the trailer park for some runaway. But when he heard that it was Maxine missing, he couldn’t stay at home knowing his daughter’s best friend was out there, probably scared and alone — the same way he found El.

It hit too close to home, and he was going to do everything he could to get her back home safely.

“She’s still at yours?” Hop called out, walking over to Steve with his notepad out for some info.

Steve nodded, backing off his car to look at his watch. “She should be asleep now, but yeah, she’s got to ours almost an hour ago by bike.”

Hop grunted out a disapproving curse, jotting everything down for the report. He clicked the pen closed, shoving it in his pocked before pointing up at Steve.

“Good. I want you to keep her at yours and I’ll stop by in the morning to ask some questions, alright?”

There was a sort of silent understanding between them both, one that even Eddie could read despite the missing words. They all knew how close Max was to you and Steve, and if she was going to be anywhere tonight, or maybe for a while, it was going to be with you both.

“What about her?” Steve pointed his chin at her mom, sitting on the steps still crying to herself. Hop took a deep breath, shaking his head.

“She’s gonna get an earful right about now, but you should probably go before then.” He advised, knowing that it would be best if Steve weren’t around despite his understandable anger.

All of the mean names and insults that spun in Steve's head and dared to leave his mouth but never did. Honestly, the sight of her crying alone was hopefully the wake up call that she needed to be a better mother, a present one that would pick her before anyone else, even kill for her if she needed to.

“You hurt her you know,” Steve declared out loud, knowing it was the least he could say for Max’s behalf.

Her face hidden behind her hands not knowing what to do with herself. She pulled them away, staring at him guiltily as she sobbed some more. But he didn’t have anything else to say to her and even if he did, he was sure the only words that would leave his mouth would be fueled with anger and disgust.

Eddie garnered his attention, patting the hood of his car gently.

“Go on man, it’s getting late.”

As a friend, Eddie cared a lot about you both. He even had a special place in his heart for the redhead who sometimes fed the strays with him when she was bored at home. It wasn’t often, but it was enough for conversations to begin where Max bragged about having Steve wrapped around her finger, ready to fight anyone who got in her way.

Steve and Max had an undeniable sibling sort of bond that tied them together — everyone could see it.

Max grew up with a step-brother who was dog-shit nothing, and Steve practically raised himself once he turned thirteen. It was clear that the both of them were fated together, a kind of chosen family that not even blood could touch.

“Tomorrow, okay?” Hopper said once more, patting him on the back and ushering him to get in the car.

Steve nodded, offering a kind handshake to both men before he got into his car, and took one last look — all the neighbors heading back into their homes after Hop waved them off, and Eddie wielding another goodbye before he jogged back to his trailer.

The drive home was a stark contrast, no more tears shed or shouts leaving his mouth. Just pure silence as his blood simmered down and his mind thought of you and Max — and of course, Ollie. His little family that he would vow to protect no matter what.

He parked the car, locking it and jogging up the short flight of stairs towards the apartment door. He dug the keys out of his pocket, quietly opening it, hoping to not wake anyone up. But of course, Ollie was already at the door waiting as Steve smiled, bending down to pet him as he shut the door behind him.

The floor lamp was left on, illuminating your sleeping figure on the couch with two layers of blankets pulled over your body. He thanked all the gods in the universe that you were asleep, knowing it wouldn’t do you any good if you had stayed up waiting even if it was out of love.

You knew that Steve would handle things and keep his promise. He always did.

He shrugged his shoes off, propping them on the rack before rounding the hallway towards your shared bedroom where the door was left open. Stopping in the doorway, he let out a sigh of relief, glad that Max was also asleep and safe. All the while Ollie hopped up on the bed, snuggling into her side for the night.

There were a lot of things that Steve was unsure of, so many questions still desperately wanting to be answered, but he knew that whatever was going to happen next was going to be in the best interest of Max.

No more of her feeling like she was second place or her own mother’s second choice. He was going to do everything in his power to give her the life she deserved — full of love and safety.

Heading back to the living room, he lifted the blankets up slowly, squeezing in beside you, doing his best not to wake you up. But it was nearly impossible as you stirred slightly, peeking your eyes open just enough to decipher his figure through the darkness.

“W-was everything okay?” You croaked softly, wrapping your arms around his midsection and pulling him closer to you.

“Yeah," he nodded, kissing your temple as he settled his body into the cushions. “Hop was already there when I arrived and he’s gonna stop by in the morning.”

“Where are you hurt?” You sought, already knowing that Steve was going to try to hide it from you for your own sake if you didn’t ask yourself.

He gulped, turning his jaw to show you where he was hit. “Just grazed me a bit…I’m gonna be fine.” He assured you as your fingertips skimmed over the area, trying to feel for a forming bump.

“Okay,” You took a deep breath nodding as your hand fell away from his face, “Let’s get some sleep…we’ll talk more in the morning.”

There wasn’t possibly anything more that you could’ve asked nor did you want any of the full details of what Steve had done to get things handled. He knew it too — that sometimes ignorance when it came to this sort of situation was bliss to you.

Your focus was on Max, and as long as Steve was safe and sound back in your arms, there was no need to worry about him. Right now Max was the person you needed to be thought of the most — and neither you nor Steve were going to stop doing so.

Max woke early the next morning, rubbing sleep and dried tears from her eyes as she was aware of the sun beating down past the curtains and the voices talking softly down the hall meaning you and Steve were already up.

She tossed around the duvet for a few minutes before mustering the strength to throw them off and let her feet hit the floorboards, taking her to the kitchen.

“Morning,” she croaked weakly, wincing at the pain in her cheek where her fingertips had slid against the skin carelessly.

You and Steve looked over your shoulders. Her sleepy figure taking a seat at the kitchen table and resting her face in her hands. Clicking off the burner, you both quickly gave her your attention.

“Hey bug,” Steve said quietly, reaching over for a clean glass, filling it up with water before he approached, sliding it over to her.

“How’re you feeling?” You sought, taking a seat beside her and smiling gently as she laid her head on your shoulder.

“A bit better. It’s the best sleep I’ve gotten in a while.” She admitted, with a weak laugh, happy that she didn’t have to endure a night of a loud TV playing or her drunk mother whining about the cable cutting out.

But she’d be lying if she said she was out like a light after she got out of the shower. Sleep didn’t come to her so easily, playing back the memory of what had unfolded and knowing that Steve wasn’t home. She didn’t have to peek out of the living room to know it, but she could feel it in her bones that he had left.

“What happened to you?” Max asked him. Her gut already knowing the answer to her own question, yet she just wanted to see what he’d say.

Steve shook his head, tapping his cheek, “It’s nothing, just a little bruise. I took care of it.”

She couldn’t be upset with him, even if she wanted to. The energy in her body was completed depleted and the last thing she wanted was to act as if she didn’t need the help. Steve was protective of her and she knew whatever he did to “take care of it” was coming out of the goodness of his heart.

“Thanks,” She pursed her lips into a tight line, tilting her head at him to which he nodded.

You stroked the hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ears as she turned her eyes up towards you.

“Hopper is gonna come over and get some statements about the situation. He said it’s gonna be easy peasy.”

“Will you guys be able to stay in the room?” She crossed her fingers, hoping that she wouldn’t have to endure it by herself.

“Of course,” Steve nodded assuringly, rubbing her arm up and down, “He might bring some other people from the department, but they’ll be in and out before you know it, I promise.”

“Okay,” she breathed, relieved that it wouldn’t be so bad with you both there.

Max had only spoken to the cops one other time in her life — obviously talking to Hopper casually didn’t count. But after the fire at StarCourt, she and her friends were all questioned by law enforcement, even the FBI. They showed her pictures of the damage and asked about Billy and the details of his death.

She went home that day feeling numb as everyone else, not knowing if she’d ever be the same, and to know one’s surprise, she wasn’t. A few days later, her mom had planned out the funeral with the help of Karen and Joyce who tried their very best to pick up the pieces while her mom struggled to deal with the loss of her stepson and the sudden departure of her husband.

Max would never forget that week. So much chaos, heartache, and guilt that would only continue to follow her wherever she went, no matter how hard she tried to get back to normal, it just wasn’t possible, not with the emotional abuse of life that she had endured.

She tried not to think about it so much, knowing that Hopper was gonna make sure no lines were crossed. If anything, the questions would go straight to the point that way it wouldn’t force her to relive every single detail of the night.

The three of you ate breakfast together, her and Steve occasionally feeding Ollie bits of scrambled eggs while you weren’t looking, lightly laughing to themselves as you went on about something that you wanted to do with the kitchen.

After you cleared your plates, she suggested she did dishes, but you and Steve waved her off, telling her to relax and watch some television or read some magazines before Hop arrived.

A little after eight, there was a knock on the door, a firm and loud one indicating that it was most definitely the Chief on the other side. Max switched off the TV, getting up to join you and Steve at the front door, greeting him warmly.

“Hey kid,” Hopper greeted, widening his arms as she grinned and walked into his side, hugging him — hugs from Hop weren’t typical, but she knew it was his dad side coming out and comforting her.

“Hey, Hop.” She patted his back before stepping away and letting you and Steve greet him.

You peeked back out the door to see if any other person from the department would be joining, “Just you?”

He hummed out an ‘mhm’, removing his hat and taking a seat on the couch before pulling out the same notepad and pen from last night.

“Didn’t wanna overwhelm her with too many people 'round. I know it’s a touchy subject, still fresh and all.” Hopper spoke thoughtfully, eyes darting over to Max who was very relieved as she plopped down on the opposite side of the couch.

“Thanks.” Steve nodded, going to sit beside her.

The pen clicked, and Hop jutted his chin out towards the kid, silently asking if she was ready or if she still needed a few minutes to prepare herself to speak about it. She nodded quickly, wanting to rip the bandaid off and get it over with.

“Where were you before you got back home?” He began.

“I was at the arcade with Dustin and Mike. I biked there at 6 p.m., left at 8:30 p.m. and got home at about 9ish.”

He jotted everything down as she went, knowing that while the details weren’t about the scenario that took place, he needed to know everything that had happened before and after.

“And when you got home what happened then?” He proceeded, looking up from the notepad.

Now the hard part, getting into the details that she wanted to bury in the back of her mind and forget. She knew that Hopper was here doing his job and the last thing he wanted was for her to revisit last night, but in order to make sure things were done correctly, he had to get some insight.

You patted her knee encouragingly, while Steve murmured kind words, “you’ve got this,” and “it’s gonna be over soon.”

“I—I noticed a car out front, but it didn’t look familiar, so I didn’t think anything of it. Thought that maybe mom had gotten a ride home from a coworker and they were inside talking, or that maybe one of the neighbors had a guest and they just needed parking.” She explained simply.

“And when you walked in?”

“Neil was there sitting on the couch and my mom was making dinner in the kitchen. There were a few empty beer cans lying around, but they could’ve been my moms, or his…I d-don’t really know, but they were there.”

“Okay,” Hop nodded, pen moving quickly against the paper, occasionally looking up to give the girl a warm look, telling her she was doing great so far.

“How did things escalate?”

“I told him to get the fuck out and that he wasn’t welcomed in our home.” She said bluntly not caring about trying to lay it down easy.

“How did he take that?”

“Not so well,” She shifted, sitting up and swallowing thickly, “for some reason, my mom wanted him to stay, and I kept going on about horrible he treated us—how he treated Billy, and he didn’t like that I was talking back.”

“And it’s from my understanding that he hit you?”

Max nodded, “He slapped me across the cheek,” She turned her face, showing Hopper the side that was hit, though the red hand-mark had waned through the night, “Just once, but it was pretty hard.”

“M’sorry that happened, kid.” Hopper shook his head, huffing out a deep breath as he took it down.

“I gave my mom an ultimatum… him or me, but she didn’t say anything, so I knew—I knew I had to go and leave.” Her voice died with a whisper, hating the fact that repeating the words out loud was just as hurtful as seeing her mom do it to her face.

You and Steve could tell that it was starting to get heavier for Max. The mere thought of retelling what she had gone through was like reliving it again. Steve reached for her hand, giving it three encouraging squeezes.

“S’okay, we’re right here bug, not leaving okay?” You whispered, wrapping your arms over her shoulder, letting her lean it toward you.

“And you biked all the way here?”

She nodded, watching as Hopper mentally did the math of the times, knowing she didn’t bother to check it once she left. “So would you say you left Forrest Hills at about 9:30 and got here at almost 10?”

“Maybe 10:30,” she clarified, “I got tired halfway and stopped for a second to catch my breath.”

“And when you got here?”

“I knocked on the door, and they answered and let me in.” Max spoke gesturing to you both.

Hopper nodded, turning his attention to you and Steve now.

“What was she like?” He asked looking between you both.

You swallowed, going first. “Shaken up, cold obviously, but most sad and shaken.”

“She gets um, panic attacks sometimes?” Steve looked over at Max apologetically, but she nodded, letting him know it was okay to go on.

“S-she said it was just some stuff at home, and it kinda triggered one, so she got her a glass of cold water and warm rag to help calm her down.”

“What happened after that?”

“I told them what happened…about the slap, I mean.” She clarified with the tilt of her head as Hop nodded and jotted it down.

“Got it.”

“A-are we done, now?” She furrowed her brows, shifting a bit in her seat just enough to catch the notepad that was filled with his writing, not even room left in the margins.

Hopper flipped the pad over, clicking his pen shut as he nodded. “Yeah, no more talking about it. Got everything I need to keep him behind bars.”

She let out a breath of relief, sinking into your side as you smiled down at her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head lovingly. You hated that she had to go through this, but you knew it was the process to make sure everything was handled properly and Neil wouldn’t be able to get out easily.

“I’m assuming you’re not wanting to go back?” Hopper proposed, smiling a bit at Max’s comfortability that was visible now that the hard part was over.

Max nodded sternly, looking back at him. “Not if I don’t have to.”

“You guys okay with letting her stay here for a while?” Hop asked you both.

Without hesitation, you and Steve nodded. That wasn’t even up for debate. Your door would always be open for Max no matter what.

“Then it’s best you go back over there, let Max pick up a few things and try to get her mom to sign this.” He reached into his pocket, slipping out a folded piece of paper that he handed over.

Steve grabbed it, unfolding it to read the contents as you and Max leaned over to do the same.

“What is this?” Steve shook his head confused.

“It’s to have you and Steve become Max’s legal guardians. Her mom is obviously still going to be her parent and I doubt she’d sign away her rights, but this is mainly to protect Max. To make sure that she has people she can go to when she doesn’t feel safe at home, and things to get messy with the court and stuff like that.”

“So, we just get her to sign this and then Max can stay with us?” You questioned.

“For as long as I want?” Max added with an excited glint in her voice causing Hop to push out a laugh.

“Obviously, I’d encourage that your mom tries to make things right with you eventually, but I can understand that you don’t want to be near her right now. So yeah, if she signs it, you can stay here as long as you want.”

Max perked up at the thought, sitting up straighter and looking at you and Steve with hopeful eyes — it was as if she was brought back to life for a moment just at the idea of getting to stay with you and Steve.

You smiled softly, rubbing her back, “Why don’t you go get ready and we’ll head out to get this done, okay?”

“Okay!”

As the bedroom door closed, Hopper turned to you both wearing an apprehensive expression, sighing deeply and rubbing his hands together.

“It isn’t going to be easy.” Hopper spoke softly, not wanting Max to hear, “She’s gonna be a little hesitant to sign it, but I gave her a little spiel about it last night.”

“How’d she take it?” Steve wondered, scratching the back of his neck.

“Telling a mother that she isn’t fit to raise her child and that her child was going to be better off in the hands of two early twenty-year-olds?” His forehead creased as he lifted his brows, shaking his head, “She was pissed.”

You rolled your eyes, tsking because she had done this to herself and you had no remorse for her, at least not after what she had done to Max.

“Well, she should’ve thought twice before letting an abuser back into her and her daughter’s home and letting that same man hit her kid.” You retorted sharply.

Hop nodding sympathetically, understanding your indignation.

“I know you’re upset, but you’ve gotta try to make her understand that way Max is put first.”’

Steve rubbed your knee gently, doing his best to calm you down knowing that while you were visibly upset at the entire situation, you both had to see it through for Max’s sake.

“We hear you.” He spoke, giving Hop a grateful look for the time and energy he was taking out of his day to help you both with the process.

“The kids are worried about her…” He revealed with a sigh, “They basically stayed up all night and grilled me when I got back home.”

Hopper didn’t mean to overstep his place and tell El and Will about it before Max had the chance to, but the second he received the call, the only thing he could do was burst through their bedroom door and ask when they had seen her last.

Safe to say that once they were awoken with the news that their friend had runway, they couldn’t bring themselves back to sleep — pacing the living room restlessly as Jonathan and Joyce did their best to soothe them while Hop had drove down to the trailer park.

“Do you think they could by a little later? They just want to check up on her and give her a hug.” Hopper proposed, since it was the one thing El and Will had made him promise he would do for them.

“That’s sweet of them.” You smiled with a nod, “After we head out, I’ll ask Max and have her call them up in advance.”

“Great.”

Hopper left after saying goodbye to you all, wishing you luck on getting the paperwork signed and reminding you and Steve that you guys could give him a call anytime if you needed anything.

The last place Max wanted to go was back to the trailer park, but she knew in her heart that avoiding it forever wasn’t something that she could do considering that she still loved her mom, but right then, she just couldn’t stand to be around her after everything.

You three agreed that you would do most of the talking in hopes of getting the signature on the forms while Max headed inside to pack her stuff. Max had nothing to say to her mother, nor did she have to even utter a work to her — she owed her nothing.

The only thing keeping Max’s hopes up was getting to finally pick up somewhere else, somewhere safer where she knew you and Steve would never put her in danger and give her the home that she was always longing to have.

Her blood started rushing quicker as Steve turned into the park, driving up to the trailer and placing the car in park. She closed her eyes, leaning head back against the seat, taking a few deep breaths attempting to prepare herself to face her mom.

“Hey,” Steve looked back, tapping on the console to grab her attention, “It’s gonna be okay. We’ll be in and out as quick as we can be.”

“You don’t have to say anything at all, just go in there and grab whatever you need, alright?” You added, twisting your body to face her, grabbing her hand gently.

She took a final deep breath, nodding as she glanced out the window, “Let’s get this over with.”

Steve jogged up the steps, knocking firmly on the metal before heading back down with you and Max. It felt like forever for her, hearing her mom’s voice call out from the inside and footsteps moving across the floors, but it was only seconds after the creaky door swung open.

A look of relief washed over her mother’s face, hands resting over her heart as she walked towards her daughter.

“Maxine! Oh honey, I was so—”

Your hand came out, blocking her from getting any closer than she already was, putting distance between her and Max.

“She’s here to get a few things, then she’s leaving.” You said sternly, locking eyes with her keeping your gaze hard.

Her mom looked between you and Steve, eyes wide as she swayed her head puzzled.

“L-leaving? To where?”

“Ours. She’s gonna be staying with us for a while.” You told her, not missing the way the confusion instantly spread to denial.

Max took the opportunity to push her way in, brushing past her mom through the door and making a beeline for her room. She shut and locked the door, quickly moving and grabbing bags to stuff full of the things while you and Steve waited outside.

Max’s mom shook her head, eyes pleading to you and Steve, “You can’t take her away from me. She’s my daughter. Please.”

You didn’t even look affected by her begging, still keeping your composure with your arms moving across your chest.

“We’re not taking her away. She’s picking us, and we’re choosing her. The same way you should have last night.”

Steve had never seen you be so cold as you were being in that moment. It was totally out of your character to act out that way, but he knew this was just as hard for you to do. You weren’t doing this to punish her mom.

You were acting this way because Max needed someone who wasn’t going to just give up on her and let her fend for herself. She had done enough of that already, and with you and Steve there was no need for her to do it anymore.

“Please, you have to know that I didn’t mean for him to hit her.” She reasoned, clasping her hands together like a magical prayer was going to change your view.

“But you did know how violent he could get, and you still let him in. You put your life and Max’s in danger. For what?” You scoffed, shaking your head.

“He said that things were going to be different.” She whispered, furrowing her brows trying to get you to understand where she was coming from.

“And you really fell for it? After all of this time, you would think that you would know better.”

“We could be an actual family.” She said, pointing into the trailer where Max was gesturing to you both that it could finally be a home with a mom and dad waiting for her.

That ticked you off beyond everything she had pervious said. You couldn’t keep your composure any longer, tightening your fists to your sides, doing everything to keep the anger at bay and remember what you and Steve were here for.

“Just stop it!” You yelled louder than you had anticipated, prompting Steve to lay a calming hand on your shoulder, murmuring out for you to take it easy.

“Max doesn’t need anything more than a mother. Someone who is going to put her and her needs first. Not some delusional idea of a family that never existed in the first place.” You retorted sharply, bursting the bubble around that stupid dream of hers.

“That’s not true—”

You pointed your finger at her, nearly seething at that point.

"You dragged her into this town, and you left her to fend for herself when Billy treated her like crap and you did it again when Neil did the same thing. As much as it hurts you to admit, you know you’re not fit for the role. At least not right now.”

You didn’t mean to be so harsh, but it was what she needed to hear and she didn’t even bother to defend herself. Shrinking back, you could see the way her eyes washed over with a sheen of tears, jaw quivering slightly as you went on without missing a beat.

“Do you even know anything about your daughter at all? Do you know that Steve and I are her emergency contacts? He had to drive down there last week for an incident that you should have been there to handle, but you weren’t.” You explained to her, trying to keep your voice low for Max’s sake.

“You’re barely around, and on the rare occasion that you are, you don’t even try to be apart of her life, or even try to scratch the surface of everything she’s been hiding because she wants to protect you.”

You had gotten worked up by then; the anger floating away and instead replaced with pure disappointment for the mere fact that you and Steve even had to be here in the first place. Had she done her job as a mother, none of this would have happened, and she wouldn’t be standing here getting an earful from you right then.

“But you’re her mom.” You swallowed, shaking your head at her sobs leaving her mouth.

“You’re the one who’s supposed to be protecting her, and you failed at that.” You said, letting your voice die, watching as she broke down even more at those words.

You felt terrible for making her cry despite knowing she deserved it. You weren’t an evil person; you didn’t gain anything by making her feel bad about the way she parented, but every single thing you had said played a role in how awful thing had turned out for Max.

Her daughter, a girl going through the most pivotal developmental years of her life, was protecting her own mother who was neglecting her. She could have easily picked up and left long ago, even before Billy died, but she didn’t. She stuck around and beared the weight of everything else meanwhile she was the one suffering most.

“I’m her m-mom…she only has one mom, and that’s me.” She croaked, pointing to herself while the tears ran down her face.

“So if I were you, start acting like it and get your shit together so you can be the one she trusts again. The last thing she needs is forcing herself to live with her only mom who shattered her heart.”

You took a shaky breath, reaching behind you to retrieve the papers that Steve was holding onto. Passing them over to her, you watched as she looked over them, seemingly having no objections any longer.

“Y-you promise she’ll come back home?”

You and Steve looked at each other, neither nodding nor shaking your heads before you finally mustered the strength to look at her again.

“Prove she should first.”

Before you knew it her signature was printed on the pages, the three of you standing awkwardly outside listening for the bustle of footsteps and drawers shutting before finally the door whipped open. Max wobbled as she made her way down the short stairs, keeping her eyes on you and Steve.

“She sign it?” She finally spoke, watching as you both smiled and nodded.

Steve stepped forward, taking the bags from her arms and going to put them into the trunk of his car as you stayed near the porch with Max and her mom.

“Max, I’m sorry.” Her mom sniffled, going to reach out to her before quickly pulling her hands back to her chest understanding that she didn’t want to be touched.

Max looked over her shoulder, staring almost emotionless as she muttered, “I hope you are.”

“I—I’m gonna change, I promise…I’ll be better for you.”

They didn’t share a hug or a kiss on the cheek goodbye, Max simply opted for nod not wanting to keep her hopes too high when it came to her mom. You three loaded back into the car, watching from the rearview as her mom waved goodbye while you all set off back to the apartment.

You met her eyes in the mirror, heart warming at the small smile that splayed over her face, leaving the park without looking back.

“Why don’t we have a day with El and Will, huh? We can go shopping for your new room.” You suggested cheerfully.

A short gasp left her mouth, a little confused and surprised. “My own room?”

Steve chuckled nodding as he glanced back at her for a second. “You’re gonna be living with us for a while, so yeah, you’re own room. We’re gonna turn her study into a bedroom for you.”

“Thank you, thank you thank you!” She bubbled, unbuckling her belt as she reached forward and draped her arms over your shoulders as you and Steve laughed, urging her to buckle back up.

“Give El and Will a call when we get home and then we’ll swing by to pick them up, okay?”

It surprised her just as much as it did you, how upbeat she was despite the events that had unfolded less than 24 hours ago. Perhaps it was just her running on the high of actually getting to stay with you and Steve, but you had a feeling that it was the genuine relief she felt knowing that she’d get to come home to a safe space every day from now on.

Steve had given you the keys to his car, steering you and Max out of the apartment right after you had dropped off all her belongings and she had phoned her friends. The second you made it to the Hopper-Byers residence, El and Will were already waiting on the porch, racing towards the passenger side to greet their Max with the biggest hug in the world.

Joyce even came out, pulling Max into a sweet hug, murmuring even sweeter words that a mother would give her child. A little sliver of your conscious felt guilty that you were depriving Max of that mother-daughter connection that she always wanted, something every girl craves to have.

“Do you want to tag along?” Max extended the invitation, looking back into the car where you nodded with a smile, patting the empty passenger seat that you would hope Joyce would occupy.

And alas, she did, which was a great excuse for you and her to talk about adult things while the kids helped Max pick out stuff for her bedroom. They ran off to the knick-knack section of the thrift store, hoping to find some decor, while you and Joyce sorted through the hangers of curtains trying to find something that would suit her style.

She nudged with her elbow, causing you to looking over at her as a small smile took over her features before she whispered softly, “You and Steve are doing the right thing.”

You inhaled deeply, giving her a shaky laugh as you exhaled. “You think so? I’m honestly a little scared.” You admitted, hoping she wouldn’t think you were second guessing it because you weren’t.

There was just a lingering worry living in the back of your head, wondering if you could actually do it. Without a doubt, you knew that Steve could. He practically handled all six children by himself at one point in time, but you were still new to it. You were always there for all of them, but Max’s situation meant not just being there, but being present and ready to be at her side at any moment.

You couldn’t stomach the thought of her bottling up her feelings and hiding away in her bedroom while you went on unaware of it in the next room over. You didn’t even know what you’d do with yourself if she came home in tears not wanting to talk about what happened before shutting the door in your face.

There were so many things you weren’t prepared for and that was what made you the most scared: the thought of not knowing and it ending up hurting Max more than she already had.

Joyce had been in your shoes a few years earlier, taking in El, a child she didn’t birth, but felt immensely protective over. Though her circumstances were different from Max’s, there were more similarities in the fact that all they really needed was a safe space with people who loved them for who they were.

She reached out, giving you back a comforting rub while you shifted to face her completely.

“They say people are never really ready to be parents and it’s the same way for you guys, but you and Steve are the perfect fit for her.” She said softly, watching as you took in her words with a nod, continuing to listen for what advice she had left to graciously give you.

“She trusts you enough to tell you about everything in her life without being scared that she’ll be in trouble. She chooses you guys because you choose her. I know it’s not an ideal situation, but sometimes things happen for a reason…for the better.”

It was a motto that Joyce Byers lived by, the fact that things happened for a reason and even if it wasn’t the way things were envisioned, it was always for the better. She would have never thought that she would be a single mom of two kids, leaving behind Lenny in order to give her two boys a better shot at living a life without the risk around. But she also would have never thought she’d find love again and adopt a girl like El, who completed her life in so many ways.

Their families meshed together like one without even skipping a beat. It just felt right even after all those years of going through it without each other. When they were finally found on another, it was like the missing puzzle piece finally being put back in its place—a kind of harmony that was difficult to replicate.

You saw it covering her face, the certainty and confidence she had in you to do it.

“I needed that.” You closed your eyes, wrapping her up in a tight hug. “Thank you so much.”

“I’m here for you all, no matter what. We all are.” She reminded you, rubbing comforting circles over your back.

She smiled where you couldn't see, catching Max from afar as she watched on with a grateful look, giving Joyce a thumbs up before running along to find her friends.

You realized that it was a lot of pressure, and right now it felt like the weight of the world on your shoulders to make sure you were giving Max everything she needed, but sometimes it wasn’t as complicated as you were making it out to be in your head.

Giving Max a place to stay and the knowing that she was cared for was already enough for her and all the rest were just extras she was glad to be given by you and Steve.

After a few hours of strolling through countless stores and picking up the right pillows and bedspread, Steve’s car was officially packed to the brim. You weren’t sure how you all managed to Tetris fit everything, but it worked perfectly and by the time you had dropped the kids and Joyce back to theirs, the empty seats were occupied by everything that was once on their laps.

“My arms are dying!” Max huffed dramatically, slogging up the apartment complex staircase as you lingered behind her, trying to catch your breath with each slow step.

“I’m getting too old for this. I should’ve picked the apartment on the first floor instead.” You fretted with the shake of your head, finally making it up to the top with a loud stomp.

You and Max stood at the top of the stairwell for a couple seconds, deep breaths filling the silence as you pressed yourselves up against the brick wall. Then suddenly, as your eyes locked, laughter erupted not being able to take each other seriously over the silly situation.

Despite the cramp that you were surely going to catch in your leg at any moment’s notice, it was all worth it knowing this was going to be a memory you’d both look back on and crack up at.

Taking another deep breath, you tilted your head down the hallway.

“C’mon I bet Steve and Ollie miss us.” You both walked the short way to your front door.

You let your arm’s weight down, bags falling softly against the concrete as you fished the car keys out of your purse, beginning to unlock it. Ollie’s little barks came from behind the wood door, getting louder when you unlocked the screen and finally pushed the second one open.

The second the gap was cleared, the pup excitedly jumped up on his hind legs, greeting you both with a few more barks.

“Oh, hi boy! I missed you so much.” Max quickly stepped through, placing the bags down and going to her knees in order for him to surge into her lap.

You grinned sweetly, bending down to pet behind his ears while you toed your sneakers off, lugging the bags behind you.

“Where’s your dad, huh? Did you keep him company the whole day?” You wondered aloud, mostly talking to your dog who wasn’t paying you any mind with the pets he was getting from Max.

Before you could even call out his name, Steve strolled from the hallway, dusting off his hands as he smiled at the both of you. His hair was slicked back more than usual, which you assumed was because of the sweat that accumulated from all his hard work.

He didn’t tell you much about what he was going to do before you left, just that he was going to fix up the bedroom for Max and get everything in order.

“He did keep me company. In fact, he couldn’t stop following me around, that is until he heard you guys all the way from the stairwell.” He snickered, knowing that Ollie could hear your combined laughter from a mile away, instantly darting towards the front door the second he heard it.

You walked over to him, placing a peck on his lips before pushing past him into the living room in order to get yourself a glass of water.

He turned his attention to Max. “Did you have fun today, bug?” He proposed, scanning the shopping bags, which wasn’t even half of what you had picked up.

She nodded, bringing Ollie closer to her chest as she waddled over to the couch to get comfortable.

“The best day ever! Joyce even joined us and we all got ice cream afterwards as a treat for all the sale findings we did.”

Steve glanced over at you with a suspiciously raised brow not believing either of you could be gone for as long as you were and only have a couple of shopping bags.

You were especially good at finding the items that were somehow always on sale or marked down, which is how you justified every purchase claiming you were getting a bang for your buck—Steve didn’t know if that was always true or not, but who was he to argue?

“I’m assuming there’s more in the car?” He looked back and forth between the both of you.

You gulped down your water, nodding with a wide grin.

“You are correct!” you said, tossing him the car keys that he quickly caught and stuffed into his pocket with a grin.

“Before I lug whatever the hell you guys bought up here, let me show you a surprise.” He announced with the clap of his hands, motioning for you both to following his lead.

Max’s ears perked up, shuffling off the ground and following him closely. “A surprise?”

“You heard that right.”

The three of you stopped in front of your old study, now Max’s bedroom where the door was pulled shut. You and Max had no idea what was behind the door, but you both were excited to see what he was hiding, knowing he could have done anything while you were gone for the day.

In true dramatic Steve Harrington fashion, he shot Max a semi-worried, yet semi-cheery look, placing his hands on her shoulder as if he was bracing himself for a bad reaction already.

“Now Max, if you hate it by all means, don’t be afraid to tell me,” He cautioned.

She glared playfully, flicking his arm in a scolding manner.

“Stop, I’m not gonna hate it!” She guaranteed to him, waving her hands out in the air as in telling him to hurry about revealing it.

“Fine, then…surprise!” He blurted, reaching back to twist the doorknob and press the door open, revealing its interior.

Shock wasn’t even enough to describe what Max was feeling, let alone fathom the work Steve was able to pull together with just a couple of hours. She wasn’t even sure how he managed to get all the furniture, considering he was left without a car all day, but she was sure he had pulled some strings to make it possible.

The rattan bedframe was pushed up against the wall to maximize the space along with a newly packaged mattress laying within it. Beside it was a small two tiered bookshelf that would also act as a bedside table. Even though it was still empty, he was sure all her comics and little knick-knacks would find their home there when she officially got unpacked.

A tall oak wood dresser stood on the opposite side of the room, and while the room itself did come with a small closet, Steve just wanted to make sure there was enough room for her to store all her things. And last, on the adjacent wall, was a small desk that used to be yours, one that you had told Steve to leave in there for her so she could have a spot to do all her studying and whatnot.

The walls itself were bare, Steve wanting Max to have the creative reign to do whatever she wanted with them or if she wanted to paint it a different color, then they could make plans to go to the store over the weekend and pick a few swatches to choose from the.

Steve anxiously waited as she quietly looked around the room, taking it in without saying a word. She hadn’t even seen the room all too much to remember what it even looked like before all the furniture was put in. The only time she would ever come in there was to grab some pens and markers from your desk, but it was never long enough for her to notice how much natural light and space the room truly had.

Steve crossed his arms over his chest nervously. “Do you like it? I know it’s not much, and it’s still kinda bare, but we can—oh!”

Before he even had the chance to discredit all his hard work more than he already did, the young girl launched herself into his arms, hugging him like her life depended on it.

“Thank you so, so much! This means the world to me. You don’t even know how thankful I am right now!”

You clasped your hands together, heart warming at the sight as you watched how slowly the relief covered Steve’s face before being plastered with complete and utter joy for successfully doing something special for her.

To be fair, you were sure Steve could have blown up an air mattress for her, and Max would have the same reaction since it was the utter thought that counted the most—but this was definitely better.

“You’re welcome, Max.” He smiled, patting her back kindly, still reeling from the reaction he had received while you flashed him a big smile and a thumbs up.

“How did you even get this on time?” She finally pulled away, going for the bed and jumping back first against the mattress with the plastic covering crinkling beneath her. “You didn’t even have a car to pick this up.”

Steve beamed proudly, beginning to explain how he made it all happen. “I made a few calls, and I got Eddie to come and pick me up and we were able to go grab it. And Hop was getting rid of some stuff from the cabin and he let me keep some of the furniture for you.”

Surely getting Eddie’s help was the easy the part, the hardest was convincing him to stick around and help carry it all up the flight or stairs. Steve promised to give him a discount on all the tapes he wanted for a full month just for the favor alone—but Eddie could have gone without it, knowing that Steve was doing it not for himself, but for Max.

“Look at you being resourceful,” you half teased, poking him in the arm while he rolled your eyes at your chiding.

Max sat up slightly, arms spreading out towards the both of you as she jutted out her chin. “Come on. Group hug.”

You and Steve laughed, practically toppling into her side when she pulled you both into her, hugging with all her might trying to physically push all the gratefulness she had into it. She was sure that she could never repay you and Steve for all the things you’ve done for her, but if she could hug you both every day and make you feel it, then she would be doing it forever.

“I’m so glad you love it.” You hummed, laughing through it as she hugged you tighter for just a split second more.

“Well, thank you guys again… for going out of your way for me and giving me a place to stay.” She said kindly, patting the tops of your heads before your dog had jumped up, wanting to be included,

“And thank you, Ollie, for letting me crash at your parents’ place.” She cooed with a giggle, placing the dog on her chest where he settled snugly.

“You’re always welcomed here, you know that.” Steve ruffled at her hair, sitting up on his elbow to watching how comfortably Ollie was already liking the new room as much as Max—you were both certain, he would be crashing there every night instead of the living room or at the end of you and Steve’s bed.

After a few minutes of Max taking in her new room and getting spoiled with cuddles from Ollie, she began unpacking all her belongings, starting off with the clothes since it was the easiest to get sorted. You helped her with folding and organizing them in the drawers, while Steve placed all her heavier jackets and coats on hangers to store in the closet.

Once that was done, you all decided to take a break to snack on food, since neither of you had yet to have a proper lunch. But after a full day of being on your feet and having little to know food in your system, you were pretty much out after finishing half a bag of Doritos and a can of Coke.

Your fatigued body sprawled out on the couch where you had settled, claiming your back needed the extra cushion that the kitchen chairs didn’t have. Max and Steve decided to give you a break, doing their best to not wake you as they cleaned up and headed back to the room to finish unpacking and decorating.

It was a bit of a challenge for them to get the plastic wrapping off the mattress without your help, but they managed to find a way—Steve lifting one corner at a time as Max carefully ran the box cutter over the tarp and tugged it away section by section. The fitted bedsheet also gave them a bit of trouble but after 10 whole minutes of fighting the stupid elastic and getting confused on the right corner, it was done and her bed was properly made with the pale quilted bedsheets.

While Steve went to search for screws and the drill, Max occupied herself by filling the bookshelf bedside table with her collection of comic books and magazines. The ceramic jewelry dish she found at the thrift sat on the countertop, filled with friendship bracelets El made for her and some spare hair ties. On the bottom shelf, she shoved her Walkman and headphones into a wickered basket she also picked up at the thrift that surprisingly matched the rattan bedframe.

Some of the posters she managed to pull off the trailer walls without ripping but were bit crumpled and creased from her rushed packing, found their new homes on the walls in a collage like arrangement.

She was sure Steve would laugh and tease her when he saw the Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio, hanging right beside her dresser, but she also knew he would eventually pick her up tape and suggest it for movie night in a few days. She continued on, taping the rest of the posters up before she heard Steve’s footsteps coming back in.

He did, in fact, chuckle a little teasing her a bit at the way he knew she and El had a crush on the actor due to the fact that they screech every time he came on screen and the sole reason that had gone to see the movie in theatres three times in the same day.

Finally, they worked together to put up the hanging shelf that you had found for a deal, but without any instructions. Steve was totally going to lecture you about how no matter how good the deal was he wasn’t an instruction booklet that just knew how to put things together on the spot. But thankfully, this one didn’t give him too much trouble, at least in the beginning.

“How about now?” Steve gently lowered his hands, backing up from the wall with a single step.

With no level in sight, Steve had to continue readjusting the shelf’s position to make sure it was sitting perfectly flush and leveled against the wall. Neither he nor Max was sure how you slept through the shrill of the drill gun going through the drywall, but they were successful—in not waking you up and finally getting on the shelf right after three attempts.

Max tilted her head from where she sat on the floor. “Yeah…yeah, that looks about straight.” She shrugged not seeing it tilt to one side more than the other.

“You sure? I don’t want your tapes to fall and crack.” Steve frowned, stepping back up more to it to see if it was leveled correctly.

“They’ll survive, Steve.” She snickered at his concern, going to grab the small shoe box which contained all her adored belongings.

Her beloved, always on repeat, Kate Bush tapes found their place in a short stack, not too high in case they accidentally fell and the plastic casing cracked. A few drawings Will had sketched up for her, clipped together and stored in a folder for safekeeping. A few of Billy’s items that she kept like the ashtray that was now used to hold her spare change. And, of course, the koala plush that Steve had won for her at the arcade.

But there was one more thing at the bottom of the shoe box—a framed photo of her and her mom, from way back when she was a little girl in California. Her father took the photo, the two of them standing with wide smiles right in front of the Ferris wheel on Santa Monica’s pier.

Trips were always rare since they were on a tight budget, but her dad always claimed it was the perfect excuse to be stuck in traffic together and then get to stretch their limbs by riding all the rides.

The photograph sat at the bottom of her drawer back at the trailer, and she hadn’t even realized she packed it in the haste until now. Steve who had been sweeping up the dust that fell on the floor from the drilling, noticed her unmoving figure staring into the pit of the shoebox.

He set the broom aside, peering in to see as his lips curled up curiously, “What is it?”

Her lips pursed together into a fine line, picking up the frame and handing it over for him to see. Young Max, no older than six, smiling cheekily beside her mother with an ice cream cone in hand. Her front teeth were missing, but she still sported her signature plaits and freckled cheeks—a lot had changed, but still she was the same spunky girl who just got taller and got all her adult teeth in.

Steve looked up, glancing over at her. “Santa Monica, right?”

“Mhm,” she hummed, wondering how he could’ve known without seeing any specific signs in the photo.

“Do you miss California?” He wondered aloud.

Max shrugged her shoulders not really knowing how to go about it.

“Sometimes. I used to miss it more back when we first moved here, but after a while I kinda stopped because I had made friends and it wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

Steve chuckled, jabbing his elbow gently into her side. “Until you found about the alternate dimension?” He half joked to which she snorted with a roll of her eyes.

“Obviously…but even then, at least I wasn’t alone.” She said, nudging him back at the memory where he was the one who saved her and her friends during her first run in with those demodogs.

She twisted her fingers through each other, shoulders lifting curiously, “I—I do miss my dad sometimes, though. I always wonder what he’s up to, if he ever misses me or my mom.”

“You don’t really talk about him.” Steve said, tapping his foot on the ground suddenly aware of his limited knowledge on her dad’s side.

She nodded understandingly, knowing she didn’t share a lot about him with other people in the first place. Even El didn’t really know too much about him.

“Part of me wishes I could’ve stayed back with him, but I guess he just didn’t want to bear the full responsibility of a kid all by himself.”

“Did you ever try calling him?” Steve wondered, looking at her watching as she nodded with a small smile, recalling those moments for him to hear for the first time.

“We used to talk all the time when we first moved. He would call super early in the afternoon because of the time difference, and he didn’t want to miss me before I went to bed. He used to ask about my day at school and tell me that he was saving up to come visit…” Her smile faded, eyes darting down sadly.

“But he never did.”

“I’m sorry, bug.” He apologized quickly, hating how he had to ask such questions when she was already going through a lot. He didn’t mean to trigger anything, it was just pure interest to learn more.

“No, it’s fine,” she assured him, shaking her head when she finally looked back up at him.

“I know it probably wasn’t easy for him to see his only daughter get up and leave to live with her mom and her new husband who was practically replacing him. I just didn’t think it would mean he’d stop being my dad you know?”

Max knew Steve didn’t have much of a father's presence in his life either, let alone parents at all. It was one of the many things they had in common, something they were both painfully self-aware of.

Their parents were so far away, literally and figuratively. Steve didn’t even know when was the last time he saw his parents’ faces in person, while Max didn’t know when was the last time she had a proper conversation with either her mom or dad.

At some point in time, they became even more self aware that they had to look out for themselves—Steve obviously realizing this first. He hated to know that Max was essentially going through the same thing he did, and it was as if the cycle was repeating, but in other ways the curse was also breaking.

Steve placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing tenderly.

“Sometimes the people we love stop trying and no matter hard we want them to care, it’s not up to us to make them.” He said delicately, hoping his words would travel deep within and stick with her.

He wasn’t always the best with words and by a long shot he felt like most times he never made the most sense, everything getting misinterpreted or coming across the wrong way. And while Max never liked the idea of unsolicited advice, she really appreciated Steve’s knowing he gave some of the best and most straightforward ones of them all.

“Do you think the same thing is gonna happen to my mom?” She wondered, hoping he would have an answer for her, but Steve didn’t want to compare his parents to hers.

Steve shrugged his shoulders unknowingly, not wanting to give her a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when he could never truly know for sure. “I think one day she’s gonna come around and she’ll make up for not trying as hard as she should have.”

She took a deep breath, thankful for the careful words, before feeling another squeeze upon her shoulder as Steve spoke again, “But for now, we’re here and we’re not gonna stop trying and we’ll never not care for you.”

That was all that she needed to hear for the waterworks to begin. A trail of happy tears pooling withing her eyes as she sunk into him, letting him bear her weight as he hugged her tightly. It was the kind of hug that replaced the words “thank you,” and “I love you,” because the action alone spoke volumes—in fact it screamed it out loud without even uttering a peep.

Steve Harrington and Max Mayfield surely did not share a drop of blood, but what they did was know that they had each other to lean on. He was always going to be that protective older brother who hated to see her grow up so quickly, and she was always going to be that little sister trying to give him the childhood he never fully got to experience himself.

You didn’t let yourself be seen or heard, back pressed against the hallway wall, biting down on your lip to keep you from letting out a weak cry. You had awoken minutes ago, about to wander into her room to check their progress, but hearing their little heart to heart on your way there made you stop in your tracks and listen.

They needed that moment more than you did, and you’d be damned if you cut it short. As they pulled away, you took a quiet deep breath, swiping your eyes gently to clean the teary look before you knocked softly on the door, letting them know you were there as you walked through, letting out a short gasp.

“I fell asleep for an hour and this place is already looking complete!” You said, looking around in amazement.

Max chuckled, gesturing to the walls, “Don’t you like my Ralph Macchio poster?” She wiggled her brows while Steve muttered an “oh god,” under his breath.

You pointed at her with a nod before winking, “Get one of Matthew Broderick and that’ll complete the whole thing.”

Steve pretended to gag as if he wasn’t once a teenager with all the hot bombshells up on his wall. “What do you guys want a shrine of all the heartthrobs or something?” He accused, peering at you both with a comical look.

You pouted, going towards him to ruffle his hair. “If it makes you feel better, I think you actually resemble a little of Matthew Broderick just with better locks.”

“You think,” Steve blinked self indulgently, looking down at himself while you and Max repressed your laughter, shaking your heads at each other.

“Okay seriously though, I need some real food.” You stated, patting your stomach as they hummed in agreement.

Steve checked his watch, realizing how much time had passed and the sun that was setting sooner than anticipated.

“Too lazy to cook.” He groaned not wanting to do more work.

“But too lazy to go out.” Max added, plopping down on her bed.

You grinned, clapping your hands, “Why don’t we order some pizza? I got that coupon in the mail for an extra topping for free.”

“Pineapple!” they declared in unison without skipping a beat.

You laughed, shaking your head at how much they were truly long lost siblings in this lifetime and probably all the other ones out there.

“I’ll go call it in.” You sing-songed, spinning on your heel about to walk out towards the living room as Steve followed behind you.

“Oh!” Max sat up, looking at you both with a hopeful smile. “Can we at the table and use fancy plates and drink Coke out of the nice glasses?”

You and Steve smiled, nodding your heads at the simple request that seemed like such a big deal for her. Whatever it was that she wanted you and Steve would do the best to give to her.

In this lifetime and on this day, it was a neon kitchen filled with the laughter and smiles as you three ate dinner like royalty and the bright sky faded to night before it’d greet her again in the morning.

💌 reblogs, tags, comments, + likes are greatly appreciated! leave a comment and let me know if want to be added to my taglist!! 💌

a/n: hello hello hello sygb lovers -- the new chap is finally here!!! after months and months and months of on and off working on this chapter i finally finished it and i really hope you all enjoy it. i dont write angst as much but getting to dive deeper into max's life has allowed that for me and defintely challenged me as a writer who primarly sticks with fluff. i love writing steve and max's sibling dynamic but i also really love writing steve's gf's dynamic with max -- they both love and care for her so much as if she is their own. i really hope you guys like this chapter and let me know what you think <3

taglist: @translatemunson @kennedy-brooke @manda-panda-monium @tvserie-s-world @givemeth @steveharringtonswife @the-alchemys @loving-and-dreaming @awkotaco24 @engenelxver @elfiaaaa @pbs-theundeadmaggot @johnricharddeacy @gaysludge @keerysfolklore @micheledawn1975 @ihatepeanutss @bakugouswh0r3 @a-simpfortessa-lesbriean

[just-some-trans-nobody]

December Christmas Monster stories

December 9.) Polly Nagas with human spouse and step kids

Warnings: Christmas sweater of a randeer killing a Christmas elf, fluff

Like always minors don't interact!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The kids were so excited when you first explained Christmas to them. They had always hated the winter time having to be bundled up and in doors all the time but learning there was a holiday that meant they could get gifts they went slithering to their mother begging her if they could start doing Christmas as a family.

Talking about it with your partners you all agree it would be fun trying it and if it didn't work out then oh well. It could be a bonding moment with you and your step kids and your partners get to learn more about humans.

The kids had a lot of fun picking out decorations for the house and tree. Their dad helped put the decorations up where the two kids couldn't reach. Their mom watched with a smile as she hugged you, quietly whispering to you how much of a good idea this was.

Getting everyone Christmas themed aprons all five of you spent the day cooking cookies and other sweets

Everyone had stomach aches by the end of the night.

Your husband was a fan of the Christmas sweaters, he had a dad pun on it to which he laughed about any time some read it. Your wife had a red one with snowflakes on it, she liked it. Your step daughter had a reindeer impaling an elf on its horns, she was obsessed with it. While your step son had a Darth Vader sweater, he smiled so much when he got it. 

Of course y'all went and got photos taken to be framed with the sweaters on. You went out for hot chocolate after to warm everyone up and did a little window shopping to try and see what the kids would want for Christmas. 

As tradition you showed the kids home alone. You then had to explain to them after that no they can't put up traps all over the house like Kevin did and that no you and their parents aren't going away for the holiday's and the reason you were showing them this was to help train them ahead of time. 

Your wife told you not to show them that movie again.

You watched nightmare before Christmas instead after. You then had to explain that no they can't kidnap Santa and take over Christmas

You decided no more movies that night. 

Christmas day the kids were bouncing off the walls with excitement. They were too eager to even let you and your partners get some coffee going, they wanted to open gifts. So the five of you went to the living room. 

The kids loved everything they got, constantly thanking each person for the gift they got. They got the most gifts of course that's just how it goes with Christmas. What you weren't expecting was once all the gifts were open the kids handed you a badly wrapped gift. “They did it all themselves.” Your wife whispered to you. Carefully you pulled the wrapping paper away to reveal a handmade picture frame with a child's drawing in it. It was of the five of you drawn as well as a kid could do. The top of it said “I love my family” it brought tears to your eyes. Setting it down you gave both of them a hug. 

It's safe to say celebrating Christmas was going to happen every year after this. 

[slafkovskys]

All of this start of the season Jack content is making me feel things!!! All I can think about is him and older Norris reader after the ring toss! What does he plan for the date? How does it go? What is everyone in their lives reactions to it? Does she go to Jersey with him? Jess your writing is so immaculate this AU has infiltrated my brain😂🥰

read part one here :)

as she hears his footsteps descending the steps, she thinks about how she wouldn't be doing this for anyone else, especially not on a first date.

her dress and heels were long abandoned in a guest room, instead exchanged for a pair of jack’s sweatpants and a too big t-shirt from her college days she had left at the hughes brothers’ house at some point during her many trips there over the past few weeks. her hair was now pulled away from her face, the fact that she had moved her wash day for the occasion be damned.

“so,” he lets out a big sigh before quite literally falling onto the l-shaped part of the sofa beside her. she’s got her legs tucked underneath her, a wine glass held tight in one hand, and her head resting on another on the back of the couch. the remote is resting on her thigh and all either of them had to do was press play on the third mighty ducks movie (“it’s better than miracle, jack. not even an argument,” and she quickly learned that jack does whatever she wants, so that was an easy debate to have before he retreated to shower) that had been queued on the screen for the past twenty minutes. instead, jack throws an arm lazily over her legs, gives her that stupid grin of his she’s become obsessed with, and nods, “tell me about y/n.”

“you know about y/n,” she states as though it was a fact, which it was. they weren’t strangers to each other in the slightest, having been somewhat background characters in each other’s lives for the last eight years.

“no, i don’t. i know about the y/n whose posts i see on instagram or whatever updates my mom tells me she’s learned from your mom. that doesn’t count,” his index finger traces the outside seam of the pants she was wearing from her calf, to just above her knee, and back, “i want to know about the y/n in front of me.”

“okay then,” she takes a deep breath, swirling her wine around in her glass before taking a sip, “i was born here in michigan, but moved to germany for a little while when my dad was still playing. before you ask me, no, the only german i can remember is my old address and how to tell them i was lost. when we moved back here, i picked up hockey for a couple of years before deciding to leave it to the boys-”

“you played defense, right?” jack interrupts, staring at her with such an interest.

she hums, “why do you think i always win when me and my brothers fight? i had potential, but it really just wasn’t for me.”

“is that so? because i remember a certain tipsy moment a few weeks ago where you said you quit because you didn’t like the colors of the uniform.”

“that may have been a contributing factor, but i was fourteen and very fashion-conscious. you can’t hold that against me,” she rolls her eyes. she catches sight of the wristbands on his arm and she can’t help but to reach down and tug on them as she resumes her story, “anyway, graduated high school, moved to minnesota for college. go gophers-”

“debatable,” he teases.

“got my degree in communications. thought that i met the love of my life in the backyard of a sigma chi frat house, which we both know how that worked out. moved down to florida, got engaged, called off the engagement, and now i’m back living with my parents. i have lived a life, jack hughes,” she sighs as she finishes off her glass. she didn’t miss the way that his face twitched at the mention of derek and how she just barely ghosted over what had happened. due to the movement, his damp hair had fallen over his eyes and she reached out to push it away, “it’s going to take more than one glass of wine and a first date to get into the good stuff.”

“but i already knew all of that,” he huffs, “tell me something that i don’t already know. tell me about something that makes you happy.”

“recently?” she quirks an eyebrow and he hums, “honestly, you.”

and jack’s world comes to a screeching halt. for as long as he had known her, she wasn’t the type to get sentimental, vulnerable, but over the last two months, he felt that he had seen more versions of her than he knew existed. from the first night she was home, to that plane ride to florida to get her things, to watching her toss her engagement ring into the water right outside his house, it wasn’t enough. he wanted, no he needed more of her. he needed to know every single version of her, every single story, every single emotion that she had to offer him.

her eyes find his and he squeezes her knee, a silent ask. he watches as her throat bobs and just as he goes to crane his neck up to meet her, an alarm sounds. that stupid fucking pizza.

after scouring the entire grocery store, they couldn’t find any pre-breaded chicken for chicken parm and neither of them wanted to bother with doing it themselves. so that’s how they found themselves snatching up a premade pizza with a reduced sticker on the front because its sell-by date was that day and even though jack insisted on getting one that was fresher, she only rolled her eyes and insisted it would taste the same. he, of course, let her sit it in the basket along with the thing of cookies she suddenly had a craving for the second she laid eyes on them. the way her face lit up made it worth the extra work he was going to have to put in later.

despite the insistent beeping from the stove timer, neither of them dared to make a move to go and pull the pizza from the oven. she blinks, “we should probably go and check on it…”

“i think that it can wait for a couple of minutes,” and yeah, it definitely could, because jack was leaning in and so was she. the second their lips meet it’s like nothing either of them had felt before. the build-up, the tension between the two of them over the summer was worth it as they melted into the kiss.

jack’s hand grips onto her thigh while her hand cradles his cheek. it was easy to get lost in each other, lips moving against one another’s like they’d been doing this forever. only when the need for air becomes too great do they pull away panting, still holding onto each other like either would disappear at any given second.

“we really should go check on the pizza,” she insists, swearing she can smell the cheese starting to burn.

he frowns, “can we do more of that later?”

“if you hurry back, you don’t have to wait that long,” she incentivizes and jack is all but scrambling towards the kitchen with the sounds of her laughter following behind him.

yeah, this was definitely something they could get used to.

(they never did hit play on the movie and the pizza didn’t burn, but it didn’t get eaten either. they were too lost in each other to even bother slicing through the crispy dough as it grew colder and colder on the countertop. oh well.)

[xxkiller-muffinxx]

Sticks and stones

Part 1/?

Trolls Au fic

When a mysterious troll comes to town dressed as a tiny tree costume, Branch is bewildered to find that it’s someone completely new but unfortunately not unfamiliar.

1808 words

Warnings: extremely close to the third movie this part is. But it changes as it goes on in other parts. Dad’s an asshole.

A/N: please don’t be mad that only Branch and Poppy are going on the adventure, I really struggle with some of the Brozone brother’s personalities (mostly Floyd and clay) and I just genuinely think that Bruce would be too upset to even look at their dad so. Yeah. Anyways enjoy! Also dad is insufferable I don’t want anyone to like him :)

Plenty of years ago, The troll tree stood tall, and trolstice was on the horizon, but Willow and Barry had a family to take care of, especially a new egg. Willow sat in her pod humming to the egg in her nest of hair. Barry was dealing with their oldest.

“Johnny, buddy, you can handle taking care of your brothers can’t you, besides my mom is here!” Barry grinned down at John and patted his head. Fixing the goggles on his face. John Dory seemed appalled at the idea of taking on such a responsibility.

John shook his head. “No! I’m still a kid! I have a life to leave, and you’re just running away?”

“Don’t call it running, it sounds less cool.” Barry walked away from John, not wanting to see him upset.

“It’s not Cool, it's totally not cool!” John yelled, trudging after his father.

While they argued. Willow cradled the egg with a frown, staring at the two of them. Her heart broke as she saw little Floyd walking up to her.

“You’re leaving?” Floyd’s voice cracked tears piling in his eyes. Willow pulled him up into her lap.

“Well, yeah, but not because of you or any of your brothers, but your dad and I have to find a better place for us to live. Instead of living at risk every day.” She brushed his hair out of his face. She kissed his forehead gently.

Floyd nodded. “Yeah but why do you both have to go?” He asked, looking up at him. Her eyes softened.

Willow played with a little bit of his hair. “We’ll cover more ground and be back in no time, and don’t worry, I have you all in my heart. Always. I’ll find you in due time.” she placed her hand on her chest, pointing to her Hugtime necklace.

Willow frowned when Floyd didn’t smile at her back. She sighed softly then got an idea “Floyd, I need to ask you to do something, it’s a really important job you understand?” She tilted her head and pointed at Floyd with a stern finger.

He nodded. Stepping closer as she gestured to him to do so. “Promise me, that you’ll always take care of your brothers, you’ll always show up when they need you, and you’ll always tell them you love them. Stay understanding and brave, yeah?” She caressed his cheek and then kissed it softly. “One more thing, always be there for Bitty B. Understand?” She hands the egg to Floyd.

Floyd tears up and nods his head. Barry calls her name and Willow stands, giving each of her boys a kiss to their heads then grabbing her bag. She followed her husband out of the pod quickly.

She was determined to find a place to keep her kids safe, and if she couldn’t find one,

She’d make one

Present day:

Queen Poppy was having an annual troll reunion party, where every troll from every tribe came together and had a big party! Poppy was absolutely thrilled about it. Shaking Branch violently in her pod as she let satin and chenille pick her dress for the celebration.

“The first Annual Troll reunion! Oh this is the biggest party I’ve ever planned for. I'm so excited I could explode!” She squealed, pulling Branch in for a bunch of butterfly kisses.

Branch laughed and waved a hand at Poppy “Woah, woah, yeah this is big, but have we figured out a guest list? What if someone walks in and they’re someone we’ve never even met?” He placed a loving hand on Poppy’s shoulder. Poppy grinned wider

“The more the merrier!” She exclaimed as she fixed her crown in her head. Stepping behind the screen to change into Satin’s pick for a dress. She steps back out and the twins instantly shake their heads, pulling out another dress, Chenille’s choice, for her to try on. Poppy takes it and tries it on.

Branch smiled sweetly, her excitement infectious in the situation he can’t help but feel socially paranoid towards. “Poppy, I love you, and I’m really excited for you, but you have to figure out the best way to protect the village when there’s new trolls coming left and right.” He felt Satin putting a bow on his vest, he didn't fight it.

Poppy giggled softly. Walking out in the new dress and twirling as she grinned at her boyfriend. “Then what do you think we should do?” She asked before getting shoved back behind the screen for another dress, their duo pick.

Branch laughed softly, standing straight up. “The simple option is to give everyone scalable cards that say their name, so we can prove they are who they say they are.” He smirked, crossing his arms, waiting for her response.

When Poppy walks out in her new dress, it matches her crown perfectly, Satin lets out a loud squeal, while Chenille simply claps and jumps up and down. Branch’s eyes soften as he sees Poppy in a big pink, yellow, and orange dress that perfectly resembles her personality, firey, but absolutely beautiful to be around.

Poppy walked up to him. Placing a hand on his cheek. “Branch I love that Idea, but I don’t want to scare off potential friends, and besdies if anyone sees anything suspicious they’ll alert you immediately. Now I need to finish getting ready, I love you!.” She kisses his cheek but he’s suddenly pushed out by Chenille, as Satin begins on Poppy’s hair.

He laughed softly, walking away from the pod and making his way to his Bunker. As he walked he heard other Trolls discussing how excited they were, he smiled feeling a warmth spread through his heart. Pride? Love? Either way it reminded him of how much he looked up to her.

While on the way he caught sight of Floyd being absolutely babied by Holly, a country troll, he chuckled at the sight watching her trying to do his hair in any other way possible. Then he saw his other brother, Clay, with Viva. They were talking about the evening, when Viva spotted Branch she waved, prompting Clay to do so as well.

Branch waved back and looked at the ground thoughtfully, a natural smile forming on his face. He placed a hand on his cheek. Sighing softly. He couldn’t believe the progress he’d made since he and Poppy stopped the Bergens together. He was happy; Really happy, and nothing was going to get in his way now.

He thought so, until he ran into a tree. “Oof! Ow…where’d this tree come from?” He stepped back, looking the stump up and down, he gasped when the tree turned around and faced him. “AAAAAAGH” he yelled, the tree began panicking and sprinting away. He flung his hair toward the small tree. Wrapping around it, and finding out it wasn’t a tree at all, but a troll in a tree costume. “Who are you! Why are you in a tree costume, you’re not good at disguises.”

The troll mumbled. “Sparky said the tree costume would work.” He slowly turned to Branch. “Well, this is awkward, but I was looking for a troll named Johnny…no that wasn’t his name it was John Dory! Yeah! Him!” He shot up from his place on the dirt Evan as Branch still had him tangled in his hair.

Branch shook his head. “John Dory, what do you want with my brother?!” He threatened him by squeezing him in his hair. The opposite troll yelped softly. Followed by a groan.

“Why do I have to explain myself to you?” Branch didn’t have a second to respond before he was being thrown to the ground with his own hair. The tree troll laughed triumphantly. “Hah! You’re strong for a Troll who’s so demanding.” He pulled the tree costume off, his blue hair fluffing up and him fixing his leaf adorned pants

Branch grumbled as he stood up. Patting himself off. “Who are you, and why do you want to talk to John?”

“Well now that you ask, it makes me feel like I’ve gotten wrinkly, he had my face! I mean come on!” The man laughed. He stepped forward to be better seen in the light, Branch’s judgmental confusion made him shake his head, placing his hands on his hips “aren’t you a ball of sunshine, I’m Barry! short for Barberry? his dad! Obviously!”

Branch’s world stopped, it was then he realized there were so many eyes on him and the troll. He grabbed his hands, pulling him off to the side. “What do you mean by his dad?” Branch asked with his head against his.

“Uh…his…papa? His padre? What else could I mean?” He snorted softly. Pushing Branch’s shoulders away from him

“You…prove it.” He looked up and around, wondering if it was not worth the fight.

“What? How do I prove that I’m the DNA of another- ugh fine,” Barry reached into his pocket and handed out a small Polaroid picture. In it was him with a much younger troll beside him, holding a big fish by his head. “He was really young when he caught his first.” He grinned at it, as if it were a distant memory.

Branch took it from him, taking a closer look to be sure. “Wait…that’s…where have you been?” His voice lowers and his eyebrows furrow. He stepped back crossing his arms as he turned away,

“What? What do you mean?” Barry asked before snorting softly. Branch cringed at him, he does look a lot like John. Which does not help with Branch’s accumulating anger.

Meanwhile, Poppy walked up to Viva, running her fingers through her styled hair. “Hey, have you seen Branch? Viva’s eyes sparkled at Poppy’s dress “1: you look incredible! I love everything about it! 2: He grabbed some random guy and took him into that bush over there.” She said pointing toward the Bush Branch was in. She walked up to the bush slowly. Hoping he was okay.

Branch throws his hand in the air. “John Dory is my older brother.” Barry stared for a moment, before circling him. Then stopping he reared up slightly wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

Poppy pushed open the bush and Barry lifted Branch into the air. “I’m your dad!” Branch yelled out struggling to get out of his grasp.

Poppy gasped, punching Barry with her hair. Causing him to fly away and hit a tree. She rushed to Branch and hugged him. “Are you okay? Are you injured at all.did he say he was your dad?” She deflated slightly at the realization. Branch nodded, looking at his defeated father.

“Yeah, but it’s no harm done. We have to get John Dory, he has some explaining to do.” Branch said, walking up to his dad’s body. “So does he.” He said glaring down at Barry crossing his arms,

A/N: I wrote this on a whim one evening because I can, and now this is taking my life. I'll most likely also post this on wattpad or ao3. But I really wanted to test the waters and see what I could do with this. Follow me for more! I don't wanna do a tag list lmao

Next

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

odd duck! reader setting boundaries w lois like she did clark?

"Where's Y/N?" Clark asked looking around before kissing Lois hello.

"Charging," she said, smiling a little and nodding to where you were sitting on the end of the couch, curled up with a book and so thoroughly engrossed in it, you hadn't even realized Clark was there.

"She's not-"

"Like an adorable little roomba," Lois said, tickled.

"Good girl's day?" he asked, shaking his head.

"I found the most incredible new shoes," she said cheerfully. "And I think I managed to convince Y/N she needs more than one nice dress."

"You think?" he hummed.

Lois opened her mouth to answer and before she could, you look up from your book frowning slightly, "I'm not a computer and you're not my mom."

"Y/N I-"

Your frown deepened and you shook your head, irritated. You could ignore little jokes about being on a charging dock. You could ignore a lot of things- because most of the time people just don't realize how stuff sounds. "I should go," you tell them.

"Ma's been doing that to you for years," Clark said fairly.

"You're also not my dad. Jesus adopt a dog if you guys need something to parent," you tell him. "Enough. I don't want to talk about Bruce anymore. I don't want more dresses. I hate velvet and I'm not a robot. I'm just weird."

Lois winces when you pick up your bag and start to go, brushing past Clark to follow you. "Sweetie-"

"Not my name."

"Y/N," she said softly, catching your hand. "I'm sorry." She pulled you into a bone-crushing hug and squeezed. "I don't think you're a robot. And we shouldn't push you into things I just- After what happened a couple years ago-" She breaks off when you wince at the memory and lets you go when you pull away, squeezing your hand instead. "We just want you to be happy."

"But my happy isn't going to look like yours-"

Lois smiled a little and tucked your hair back in place, "I know. But- it's nice being reminded. Keeps me from getting too complacent. Come back and have dinner with us?" She squeezed your hand coaxingly, tugging playfully. "Clark misses movie night-"

"I don't think that's a good idea," you murmur. "I just want to go home."

"Alright," she said, a little crestfallen. "Text someone when you get home?"

"I will."

"Promise?"

"Yes."

And she nodded, watching you pop down the steps and hail a taxi, exhaling slowly. "Clark?"

"Just give her a day or two," he said, unbothered, "Maybe bribe her with some sour patch kids and some new pens." He kissed the top of her head and gave her a squeeze.

"And you're not mad at me for-"

"Listen," Clark said smiling a little, "You love her. You guys are friends. Friends get irritated at each other. It's not the end of the world."

"You just want to see my new shoes."

"And you in them. And nothing else," he agreed, grinning.

[tinnictheguardian]

Red, White, & Royal Blue

So I read the Red, White & Royal Blue book over the weekend and watched the movie, twice. Because why not? And I have some thoughts!

So firstly, I think the IP has a whole is pretty great. It's good to have a nice fluffy cheesy rom-com that's just well constructed with a wide appeal.

Secondly, unpopular opinion, I liked the movie slightly more then the book. Like the book is way more complex. Both Alex and Henry have more complex family life and have experienced a lot more in their 21 and 23 years respectively. But I actually found the simplifications necessary for adaptation quiet good.

I actually preferred Alex's Hispanic dad being the first husband, instead of the white tech bro step dad. I liked how Alex actively worked to flip Texas in the movie, especially because I felt the whole Rafael Luna subplot in the book didn't do anything.

Like it was realistic in that the GOP voters completely ignored all illegal and shady stuff by their candidate and voted for him anyway. But it was like, I don't care about this. I am not American, I don't give a shit, let's go back to Henry and Alex already.

The jealous politico journalist hook-up in the movie felt a bit more relevant to the rom-com at hand to me.

Also, the British side of things seemed a bit more realistic in the movie. I don't know how to explain this properly but you can tell that the author is American and has never lived in the UK or a Commonwealth country. I mean, I know the Queen in the book wasn't Queen Elizabeth but my brain still connected her to the Queen and I think I was supposed to given some of her dialogue was lifted straight out of The Queen movie. But by connecting the Queen in the book with Queen Elizabeth, the whole defiance scene fell flat for me. Then you have the Crown Princess threatening the Queen and I am like, this person knows nothing about UK politics. So the whole thing was genuinely immersion breaking for me.

Now the Movie has a defiance scene too but to me it felt more realistic. Also I think it helped that Prince Henry's mom wasn't there to run interference for him, like she is in the book. Or maybe it was just Stephen Fry's acting that elevated the scene. Whichever way, I liked the version of the scene in the movie better.

Beyond that, it was fun. I hear there is a bonus Henry POV chapter that says he moved away from the Crown and moved to the US. No doubt mirroring the steps taken by the real spare Prince Harry, but I would also like to point out that by the time Harry left the UK. He's role as the spare was no longer important because Prince William had, had multiple kids who were ahead of Harry in the order of succession. So I don't even understand why the press made so much hay out of it. But I guess they needed the content.

So yeah, overall, fun movie, fun book. I'll probably watch the movie again sometime, but I probably won't read the book again. But then again, I do have a long list of books and comics I need to catchup with! So yeah, pity about the sub-reddit getting banned.

[petersbaby]

Stepbro!eddie installment #7

Warnings: this is just fluff but mentions of parent loss/abandonment

-

“I can’t talk about this with you.” You say, wiping your tears off your cheek.

“Hey, sure you can. Why not?”

You’ve been upset all day, on edge constantly and you’re finally breaking down. It was inevitable. You just wish it hadn’t happened in front of Eddie, he came to your room and asked if you were okay and it all came out.

His eyebrows immediately furrowed in concern, and he sat down next to you on your bed. You didn’t answer, but just leaned your head on his shoulder.

“Because. It’s a family thing. I don’t want you to think I’m not happy with how everything ended up, but it just hurts sometimes.”

“What hurts?”

“It-it’s the anniversary today. I wish my dad had never died and I wish he was still here and with my mom. She loves your uncle I know but I can’t help but feel some sort of resentment that she moved on.”

“I understand. But it’s time, isn’t it? It’s been six years.”

“Mhm. I know. Like I said, I’m grateful for the family we have now. I just miss him extra on days like this.”

“Do you wanna talk about it? Like maybe share memories or something?” He asked awkwardly. He never really knew what to do in sad situations.

“No offense, Eddie, but that’s the last thing I wanna do right now.” You replied, sniffling.

He moves to sit back against your headboard, placing a pillow in his lap and patting it.

You immediately come to him, laying your head down and crying silently. He let you have that silence, and only just ran his fingers through your hair.

“You know, I can kind of relate. My dad’s not dead but he may as well be. I haven’t seen him in that amount of time either. He just left.”

You nod, signaling that you’re listening, appreciating him opening up since it’s something you’ve never discussed.

“Do you miss him?” You ask.

“Nah, no not really.” He said, shrugging his shoulders. “My uncle stepped in pretty quick, so I wasn’t really without a guardian for long. I love him like a dad, sometimes I even refer to him as my dad.”

“That’s sweet. He really loves you.” You comment.

“Not sure why, but yeah I guess so.”

“What are you talking about?? Why aren’t you sure?”

“I don’t know, I’m just a pretty shitty person I think.”

You lift yourself up, tears drying now, to look at him.

“You are not shitty. I find you to be quite loveable.” You climb into his lap to hug him tight.

“Thank you princess. I’m glad someone thinks so.” He smiles.

You pull back, to look him face to face.

“I love you, eds. A lot.”

“I love you too. Even more.”

He changes the topic with hopes of distracting you, telling you about different embarrassing things that have happened to him over the years because it always made you laugh.

Your favorite was probably the one where he walked past a water fountain at school without looking down and slipped in a puddle of water that was leaking out of it.

He busted his ass and had to walk around soaking wet and holding his butt for several hours afterward.

You had the biggest dumbest smile on your face by the time he was done talking to you, and he considered that to be a win in his book.

“You know, this is cheesy, but I think that if homes were people instead of places, you would be mine.” You breathe in the scent of him from his cotton tee shirt. It does smell like home.

“You’re mine too. And I’m never gonna leave.”

“You promise?” You ask hopefully.

“It would never even cross my mind. I promise.”

“But what if-“ he stops you before you even get the chance to start bringing up crazy hypotheticals.

“I said never. Okay? Never ever gonna let you go.” Even with the abandonment issues and trust issues you had, the way he spoke these words made you trust that they were true.

You start to cry again on his shoulder, realizing soon that you were getting his shirt visibly wet. “I’m sorry”, you say, slightly laughing.

“It’s fine. How about this, do you wanna go somewhere, see a movie or something? Just to get your pretty little mind to focus on something else.”

“Hmm.” You pulled away, “do you see me? I can’t go anywhere in public. I look like a crazy mess.”

“If you’re a crazy mess, I’m an insane train wreck. What about a movie here? We could get food and watch one in the living room?”

“Mhm. That sounds really good. Can you go get the food though? I’m too lazy and it’s too chilly to come with you but I’ll warm up a spot on the couch for you for when you get back” you ask with a slightly devious smile.

“Fine, I guess princesses don’t have to go out when it’s cold. McDonald’s?”

“Yayyy”

-

You look at every VHS tape in your collection in the living room, trying to pick one that he would like. You pick out 3 options, but can’t settle on one, so you lay them out on the table. Soon he comes back, a paper bag and two milkshakes in his hands.

Your eyes light up like a little kid on Christmas, and the sight of you so happy brings warmth to his heart that he can’t deny.

“Couldn’t decide. You pick.” You say, gesturing to the three movies in front of you.

“Hmm”, he says, looking at the options. “How about all three? Or probably one and a half before you inevitably fall asleep at 11pm”

You punch him in the arm. “I need my beauty sleep, shush.”

“You’d still be beautiful if you never slept a minute. You don’t need any help with that.”

He pushes a movie into the slot and you both sit through the intro while you dug into the food.

When you’re both done, he starts to stand up. “Nooo”, you say.

“Just throwing away our trash, princess. Coming right back.” And he did.

You lifted the large knit blanket you had draped over you and scooted closer to him as you covered him too. He wrapped an arm around you, holding you tight.

“Ah, jesus. What the fuck was that??”

You giggled. “Sorry. My hands were cold.” You had slipped them under his shirt to warm them up and the sudden sensation seemed to startle him.

“I’m not your own personal heater, but I’ll allow it.”

You ended up in the same position as earlier, your head in his lap but this time you weren’t crying. Quite the opposite, you felt so warm and happy that you drifted off to sleep with a smile on your face.

[mrcjprice193]

so... I rewrote Twilight...

I rewrote Twilight the WHOLE series during the pandemic out of boredom. I’m leaving out some crucial details but stay with me. I know of the books but this is gonna be more of a rewrite of the movies… This is the first movie… Bella moves to the town and lives with her dad because her mother dies. She’s in her late twenties, laid back, nerdy, and introverted. She moved away from her parents. She movies back to look after her mom's old things and console her dad. As she discovers unusual photos of her mom in a group full of women. she meets up with her old best friends Jacob and Jessica…

They tell her of a mysterious family who moved into the town years ago. No one knows much about them other than they contribute a lot to the town being fixed up and the head of the family works as a prominent doctor. Only on a few occasions does anyone see the rest of them… She gets curious and starts looking into their history and finds nothing. meanwhile, her dad investigates vicious murders happening around the town. He meets up with his friend Carlisle who he’s been close with for a long time ever since he moved there.

Then we get to THE scene. a car slides through about to hit Bella but Edward saves her. He leaves a huge dent in the car and walks away with a hood over his head. Bella is in the hospital and overhears a convo with Carlisle chastizing Edward about laying low. She’s confused but curious. She begins following Edward through the town seeing him go incognito and walk around the town. He leads her into the forest. She follows him but Edward knew what she was doing. Instead of being threatening edward is much more snarky, energetic, and softer. There is a spark there. Edward plays with her a bit and doesn’t tell her what he is. What plays out is a cute cat-and-mouse game between the two. Meeting around town. They soon start to get closer and Bella figures out he’s a vampire. They fall in love… (obviously).

Edward struggles to find his humanity being immortal and Bella is very sheltered and can't seem to find her purpose in life. through each other Edward re-discovers his humanity, and Bella steps out of her shell...

Bella discovers after looking into her mom's past that she comes from a long line of a coven of witches and she may be the last of them. (This comes into play later down the line In my rewrite of Eclipse.)

Bella meets the rest of the Cullens. Esme, Alice, Rosaline, and Jasper but things get rough as the murders get closer and closer to town. One of Charlie's friends is attacked but he’s still alive. Later on, in the police station, he turns into a rampaging beast and attacks him. He soon realizes he became a vampire thanks to Carlisle who tells him and reveals he’s one too. Charlie does not take this well and punches him. It doesn’t work vampire's skin is very strong. What follows is a buddy pair to hunt down this rogue clan of vampires… As it turns out this rogue clan is led by James who was once a part of the Cullen clan but became bloodthirsty beyond repair. Both he and Edward were best friends for centuries but after a huge falling out he split. taking in other wayward vampires who thirsted for blood and started his own clan. James begins terrorizing Bella to get at Edward and stays around the town…

Charlie and Carlisle team up killing all of the vampires in their lair but James escapes and is pissed. He kidnaps Charlie and tells Bella to meet him in an abandoned fairground. the final showdown takes place here. James and Edward face off it’s brutal and vicious. Charlie tries to get his gun with a specialized silver bullet but he can’t reach it. Bella grabs the gun instead and blows James's face off. The night is over and everything is fine but the tension between Charlie and the Cullens is thick now. (imagine if your best friend lied to you about being a vampire. shit is not sweet fam. lol) Bella and Edward go to a town celebration. They dance together in the night… END.

let me know if yall want to hear my new moon rewrite...

[claire321r]

What love is

The music of the movie we'd been watching began to crescendo as the lead man dashed through crowded streets with a look of panic on his face. He reached out and grabbed the wrist of the woman who'd been featured throughout before she could board a train with doors held open. Tears were streaming down his face and his mouth was moving, but the direction let the music take the lead.

Eventually the doors closed and the train departed with the two left standing on the platform, hitching back tears as they embraced. And I could also feel my eyes getting wetter as the scene played out.

---

"I just dont think it makes sense," Jessie complained as we made our way back into the afternoon sun. "There are other way's to get a hold of her. Why not just send her a text and tell her to wait instead of causing trouble for all those people. He wouldn't have to rush to beat the train then."

"I suppose..." I sipped the last bit of my cola before tossing it in a bin we were passing.

"And all those romance movies are full of clesheys too," she continued. "They just start bleeding together... I'll know I watched this one but I wouldn't be able to tell you who the characters were... I can barely remember even now, and we were just watching it ten minutes ago."

We hit an intersection and had to wait for the crosswalk.

"I dunno... Maybe it's just played up for dramatic effect but love can't make you that stuipd."

"Well... People in real life do some crazy things for what they think is love." We stepped off the curb as we were given the signal to cross and I continued. "Heck, my dad traveled halfway across the world to meet my mom. He left everything behind and came here with basically nothing."

"Sure, but that's not normal."

"I suppose, but is there even a 'normal' for love? Everyone experiences it differently..."

"Well then what's love to you, Ms. Love-expert?"

We walked in silence a bit while I thought about what Jessie had asked.

"Honestly... I'm not sure. I don't know if I've felt love yet so it's hard for me to know what it is."

"What do you think it is then?"

"Well probably a mixture of things. I've had crushes before, and the light feeling in my chest from those would probably be a part. Maybe having them come to mind randomly too, if they took up that much of my brain. If being with them made me happy, and I wanted them to be happy too..."

"Aren't you just describing a friend?"

"Woudn't you want the person you love to be your best friend?"

"... On the scale of friend to enemy, a friend would probably be best... Even though enemies-to-lovers is a pretty common trope for romances."

"But those are just stories," I pointed out. "I'd worry about real relationships built like that."

We passed through a set of turnstyles and made our way to a platform.

"I personally think that friends slowly growing to lovers is a much sweeter feeling. Starting off slow and building over the years. Sharing interests and experiences with each other." I continued as I noticed my train pulling into the station and could feel my face groing a little warmer. "Kind of like how we started, but going further..."

Jessie stood there just studying my face for a bit with her own cheeks a little flushed.

The chime to signal the train was about to leave sounded and I started towards it. "Sorry for saying something so weird. I'll see you later."

"Wait, Dawn!" Jessie called and grabbed my wrist. The doors of my train closed and it departed. I turned around to find that the redness in her face had spread. "You can't just go saying things like that and dashing off... Would you... want to hang out a little longer?"

I could feel a lightness in my chest growing as I offered my reply of "Sure!"

[babystepsofficial]

Let's talk about...

Gaslight (1944)!

What does this movie have to do with Baby Steps? Zeke first introduces Tina to Gaslight in chapter 1, when he invites her over to watch the movie with him at his house.

“Hey, T-Bird!” Zeke’s voice greeted her from the other end of the line. “Sorry I didn’t call yesterday, my dad and Cheryl wanted me to watch this old movie with them. It’s called Gaslight ! You ever heard of it?”

“I can't say I have,” Tina said with a smile, sitting down on her bed.

“It’s real wacky, I tell ya what!” Zeke said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “All the twists caught me completely off guard! I didn’t see ‘em comin’! I kinda wanna watch it again, but my dad and Cheryl are out tonight and I think it’s a movie that would be more fun to watch with someone else.” Then it's mentioned again in chapter 4 when Tina is hanging out with Tammy and Jocelyn at the pool. “I swear, all manipulators are the same.” Jocelyn made a disgusted noise. “They reel you in by being charming then gaslight you when you try to say that something isn’t right.” “Wanna know a fun fact about where the term gaslighting came from?” Tina grinned at the girls. “Not really, but I have a feeling you’re going to tell us anyway.” Tammy was trying to sound snarky, but her smile indicated that she found it entertaining. “So it comes from this play where this girl meets this guy and he starts doing things that make her think she’s going crazy,” Tina explained. “He turns the lights low and says that she’s imagining it, he starts acting shady but keeps telling her that everything is fine.” She looked over at her friends again. “But it turns out that he’s actually the guy who killed her aunt years ago and he only married her because her aunt hid some valuable jewels that he wants to sell to get rich.” “Does he get caught?” Jocelyn asked with genuine interest. Tina nodded. “Oh, yeah. An inspector figures out what’s going on and helps her get the guy out of the house and in jail. They made a movie of it in the nineteen fourties starring Ingrid Bergman and Angela Landsberry.” What's the significance? Zeke first introduces Tina to the movie right after she broke up with Jordan, who gaslit her through their whole relationship. He also mentions his mother Holly during that time, saying that Tina's situation reminded him of his mom's past relationships. But as we learn more about Holly through the story, we come to realize that she has also gaslit him before when he was younger. This is meant to draw parallels between the two women and their experiences, and how it affects Zeke who loves them both (though in different ways). But wait...don't they watch the movie again in chapter 36? Yes, but in the chapter they don't actually end up paying attention to it, instead more focused on each other. That's because they have both reached a place in the story where they have healed enough to not feel like they relate to the movie any more. So have you watched it yet, Pom? ...no lol. It's still on my to watch list. Shhhhhhh!

[kyogre-blue]

Went to see The Boy and the Heron with my mom. I'm going to be mean, just as a warning.

It's been a long time since I've seen a Ghibli movie, I think the last one before this was Howl's Moving Castle, so I was curious to see how they are now. And it's... disappointing.

In a sense, it feels like a mashup of Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, plus a few other elements that are very familiar, and it doesn't feel like a cohesive whole or like something meaningfully new. There's a strong sense of disjointed elements being shoved together without being really smoothed into a single, solid tale, and as a side effect, the individual elements also don't feel like they get enough depth.

Two elements I liked was the sense of tension and unease in many scenes and Mahito's very distinctive way of reacting to circumstances. (He's very, very different from Chihiro, given the obvious Spirited Away comparisons.) However, neither of these elements actually goes anywhere. The tension and unease doesn't culminate in anything. You could say the scene of the delivery room, but that happens and then the story afterwards doesn't feel any different from the story before. They just relocate and Mahito temporarily focuses on finding Himi instead of finding Natsuko.

In the same vein, Mahito feels like he's meant to have a distinctive character, but I couldn't really tell you what his actual character arc is. I can guess at it (he's named "sincere person," but he's repeatedly called arrogant and he lets Natsuko walk off into the woods, not meeting her care for him with sincerity), but that doesn't seem to actually lead into any clear progression. He just ends up being cool with his new mom and letting go of his mom's memory (??) at the end. It just happens somehow I guess.

(The entire family situation is a mess in general, linking into the side characters being weirdly unexplored and the real world situation feeling disconnected from the otherworld story despite being thematically linked. Mahito's mom dies, and a year later, his father has remarried his late wife's sister, who is already pregnant despite living very distantly from where Mahito and his dad lived in Tokyo. This is so sus? How do you even interpret it? Mahito has to accept this step mom who is his aunt with no preamble, seemingly days after meeting her. Like?? What??? Meanwhile, Natsuko flips out that she hates Mahito and this is never addressed at all. And his dad is just a bizarre character. And that's not even touching on the whole war situation.)

Similar issues pervade the elements I was indifferent toward. So much of the otherworld just feels "made up" in the sense that it doesn't feel like a "real" world. We're told that the tower master brought the pelicans and the parakeets there like it was an intentional action, but there doesn't seem to be any purpose in doing so and it's never addressed that he created a cruel cycle. Kiriko doesn't remember coming to the tower even though Himi does. She also carves dolls of the old maids, despite being from the past. Himi has fire powers, but Mahito and Natsuko seem to be normal. The little balloons are said to be going to the real world to be born, but then the tower and the otherworld collapse, so I sure this wasn't an important part of the spiritual cycle of life. Even stuff like the heron saying the hole in its beak has to be filled by the one who made it and then being able to change back with it filled, but like why is that hole such a problem? The element he highlighted was his heart, not his beak... Etc, etc, etc.

To be clear, I don't need every element explained, but there's so many details that feel completely random or like they should be explained at some point, and yet basically NONE of them are. So when you get to the ending, where the tower master is telling Mahito to become his successor and to stack the blocks, it feels like...... it's ONLY a metaphor, like the creator of the work is speaking directly to the audience, instead of a part of the story itself. It's really.... eh.

To compare to Spirited Away, there were a lot of elements there that didn't get explained either, but they also didn't feel so disjointed. There's a magic bathhouse, so obviously spirits get washed there. The witch enslaves you by taking your name, so you can get free by getting your name back. Gouge yourself on food that isn't yours and you'll turn into a pig. These things just kind of feel more logical. Plus, the setting isn't something that collapses at the end. It's a place that existed before and continues to exist after, with beings that live there. It really helps that it's not used to make a metaphorical statement. It's just a place.

And finally, this is a smaller issue, but I think the visuals felt a little off. There is A Lot that repeats from previous films. Some of the scenery of a garden felt like it was straight out of Porco Rosso, the papers flying around in the delivery room was similar to a scene from Spirited Away, etc, etc. There's a lot. Plus, there was just a particularly weird disconnect from how Mahito and Natsuko were drawn with very delicate attention to detail ("realistic" without being realistic per se) vs the gaggle of old maids, who are caricatures. There's other times too, where you go from very muted and "realistic" movements and scenes into actions that feel weirdly over-emphasized, without a good transition between them or where it doesn't feel tonally fitting.

I watched the whole thing and ultimately just felt that it doesn't live up to Studio Ghibli's best works (from the ones I've seen), but it's whatever. However, my mom had a very negative take in general. She said it was repetitive and dragged on, plus she thought it was very dated in its tone and contents. She felt that it would have been more fitting in her youth, in the more immediate time after WWII, but not currently, when we're heading into a period of global instability.

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

No tws

How do I stop having hope in my parents? I'm genderqueer and my parents have differing views on that. I think my dad tries. He (Christian since forever) has gone out it his way to try and watch some queer TV shows and movies with me. He's stopped saying homophobic and transphobic things for the most part (at least in front of me), though he still holds some bigoted views. He's not great at using my pronouns but he helped me buy some pride pins. My mom on the other hand hasn't stopped saying homophobic and transphobic things at all. She knows it fucks with my mental health but doesn't give a shit. While my dad is usually fine, he still believes some messed up shit and I probably won't be able to convince him otherwise. The hope I have in my mom to change isn't a lot but it's still something and I repeatedly get shown that it's misplaced. The other day my mom had said she'd donated to an gay organization. At first I got really excited about this, she rarely gives money to organizations because she is distrustful of them, preferring to just give the money to family who might need it. But she gave money to this organization, a gay organization! I thought she might be coming around. Nope. Organization was Gays Against Groomers. A group of cisgender gays who make it their fucking mission to make the lives of trans and nonbinary people worse. I just. I'm tired. It's been like this for years. Having hope in either of them, especially my mom, is of no use. I haven't been kicked out I haven't been called any slurs I and I haven't been put through DIY conversion therapy. All in all I have it good. I'd rather focus on the things my dad is trying to do right than continue having any faith that either of my parents are going to change.

-🎵

Hi 🎵,

I'm so sorry about what you've been going through. You don't deserve to be treated like that.

It can be difficult to let go of hope in someone, especially when it comes to family members. It's understandable that you want your parents to accept and support you for who you are. However, it's important to remember that change is ultimately up to them, and it's not your responsibility to change their beliefs or behavior.

One way to cope with this situation is to focus on building a support system of people who do accept and support you. This could include friends, other family members, or members of the LGBT community. Having a support system can help you feel less alone and provide you with the validation and acceptance you deserve.

You might also consider setting boundaries with your parents. This could involve limiting the amount of time you spend with them or trying to avoid certain topics of conversation that are likely to lead to conflict or hurtful comments. It's okay to prioritize your own mental health and well-being, and sometimes that means setting boundaries with people in our lives. Here are some steps to help you set boundaries with your parents:

Determine your boundaries: Think about what behaviors or actions from your parents are unacceptable to you, and what you need from them to feel respected and safe. Write these down so you can refer to them later.

Communicate your boundaries: In a calm and assertive manner, let your parents know what your boundaries are and how important they are to you. Be specific and clear about what you need from them and what behaviors you cannot tolerate. Use "I" statements instead of blaming or accusatory language.

Be firm: If your parents try to push your boundaries, it's important to stand your ground and be clear that those behaviors are not acceptable to you. You may need to repeat yourself several times or restate your boundaries in a different way.

Enforce consequences: If your parents continue to violate your boundaries, it's important to follow through with consequences. This could mean leaving the conversation, taking a break from spending time with them, or even cutting off contact if necessary.

Take care of yourself: Setting boundaries can be difficult and emotional, so it's important to prioritize your own self-care. Reach out to supportive friends or family members, practice self-care activities, and seek professional help if needed.

Remember, setting boundaries is about taking care of yourself and creating a safe and healthy environment. It's okay to set boundaries and enforce consequences if your parents continue to violate them. You deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.

Ultimately, it's important to remember that you deserve to be accepted and loved for who you are, regardless of your gender identity or sexual orientation. Don't give up hope that your parents might one day come around, but also don't let their beliefs and behavior hold you back from living your life authentically and finding support and acceptance elsewhere.

I hope I could help. Please let us know if you need anything.

-Bun

[mejomonster]

I have been listening to Interview with the Vampire audiobook since hey the amc show is in October and I missed the vampire chronicles and

1 I forgot so much of the later half of book, my memory really means things are brand new after like 3 years ToT rip

Im very much appreciating that it was a big book to switch to telling a vampire story from vampires pov, which I realize now I do appreciate a lot and it's probably why now I enjoy when monster stories decide to go monster pov route

Hearing that it was sort of a historical fiction (from maven of the eventides lovely youtube videos) so much clicks into place. How Louis is a symbol for his generation of rebellion and feeling he doesn't fit, feeling so Much. How all the vampires personalities and traits to some degree serve as historical parallels or references to feelings of a time/place/attitude, how a lot of the settings and general plot showcases location and daily life. Yes it's vampires, but it's also just 2 dudes living in New Orleans, then 2 dudes having a daughter they spoil in New Orleans, then 1 dad and his kid traveling Europe and eventually settling in Paris. The kills of the vampire life are occasionally focused on but it's like... mostly everyday life scenes with a vampire twist and historical setting showcased. Armand and Louis conversation in the tower with Armand saying how Louis is attractive and desirable for BEING an embodiment of rebellion and feelings and change really hammered that home for me. It's an aspect I like a lot about the novel that I barely noticed let alone appreciated the first time I read.

The narrator pronounces Louis the English instead of French way, which I just can't get used to lol cause the movie imprinted on me ToT so that's the funniest thing to me in the audiobook

I have come to appreciate how much vampires get written as sort of creatures Separate to human. Yes Louis sometimes views becoming a vampire as a dark gift/curse, but overall there's vampire stories that treat vampires like dead versions of their alive selves with magic aspects. Then ivtw treats it more like: theyre alive so long as vampires, personality evolving with time as expected, that their vampire life is like a New Life as a New Creature. A creature who sees diffetent, eats different, feels differently, and wonders in its lonely life if there's other creatures and what their own meaning of existing is. It's like humans in the sentience, but a new species of animal wondering what their purpose is and their morals are or should be or what society is or should be and if there's god and if humans are equal to them in worthiness, or if a human to them is like a mouse or ant to a human, which is to say so much less in the consideration of sentience some humans don't much think about if they accidentally step on an ant or if their dog manages to eat a mouse at least not to the degree of thinking it's a huge crime. I have seen some vampire stories go more this route as it feeling a wholly new creature, and others swing opposite and make vampires feel very much like humans still but cursed/altered (like Shadowhunters, and my own writing usually).

Louis has awful taste in men lol. This is subject to change if future books make Lestat seem better (as I never finished future books lol), but like. My dude Louis gets hitched with who he thinks is a dull gold digger, for some reason doesn't break up though. Then when his lover "dies" he keeps mooning over him with longing like Louis! A little late to recognize u liked him a bit! Then u like Armand, who couldn't care less if ur dear Claudia dies. And u really say u love him! Wow Louis, worldliness really appeals to u huh. If Lestat talked about great thoughts and mused over it despite u know, knowing nothing like Armand doesn't truly know much either, u would think Lestat was charming way earlier dude! Louis is the example of that person who likes an emo guy singing in a band cause "he seems so deep mom" but then given a similar guy who doesn't sing is like ugh he's so uncreative and bland and material. When it's like Louis honey get to know both ur jumping to a lot of I Love You conclusions after so little time ToT.

[windfighter]

Kouji on ice

Prompt: Ice pack

-------

Winter. Snow had fallen during the night, melted and frozen again. The streets were slippery and people shuffled more than they walked. Kouji was as well, unintentionally, as he made his way over to Takuya for a movie night while Kouji’s parents were out of town. He was almost there when a particulary nasty patch of black ice, invicible to the eye, covered the sidewalk. Kouji put a foot on it and his foot instantly slid forwards faster than Kouji could counter. The ground came closer fast. Kouji’s hands shot out to brace the fall. Pain exploded from his left shoulder, then his hands slid away from him as well and he landed on his butt.

”...ow.”

Every part of his body ached. He put his right hand on his left shoulder and winced. Took deep breaths. The pain slowly crawled back, settled in his shoulder, arse and lower back. At least he didn’t seem to have broken anything.

He rolled his shoulder. Pain flared up and he let out a groan before closing his eyes. Perfect. On the day when his mom wasn’t home and he was supposed to hang with Takuya. He looked at the sky, considered his options. He could always cancel and go to Kouichi instead, but… He had been looking forward to this. They had spent the whole week planning since it wasn’t often just the two of them got to hang out. Most of the time Kouji spent his spare time with Kouichi to catch up on all the years they missed growing up.

Kouji put his hand to the ground and tried to push himself up. His hand and feet slid on the ice and he fell right back down. His shoulder hurt and he cursed. Hoped no one saw him. He tried to find a comfortable position for his shoulder, used his other arm to support it. A shiver ran through his body. The air was chilly and the ice he sat on did little to make him warmer.

Maybe he should call someone?

He put his arm in his lap, held his breath as a new bout of pain rushed through it. It was… probably not dislocated. It should be hurting more if it was. At least Kouji hoped so, but he had obviously injured it in some way. He filled his lungs with air, released it slowly. Grabbed his phone and called Takuya.

It was bad when he had to ask Takuya for help.

”Hello?”

”Hey, uh… Come give me a hand?”

The ache in his shoulder was so bad. Kouji closed his eyes, tried to focus on Takuya’s voice and ignore the pain.

”Are you okay?”

”Yeah.” He really wasn’t. ”Mostly at least. Just can’t get up. Bambi on ice and all of that. Did you know that ice is slippery?”

Takuya laughed. Kouji was some kind of frustrated.

”Alright, where you at?”

Kouji stuck his tongue out. His cheeks felt hot.

”You’ll probably spot me when you step outside.”

Takuya was quiet for two seconds. Kouji felt embarrassed over the whole situation. Worst of all – mom and dad would probably not trust him on his own after this.

”On my way”, Takuya said. ”See you in a bit.”

Kouji nodded, ended the call and put the phone back into his pocket. Put his right arm under his left to decrease the pain and waited. His body shivered worse. Maybe he should have called Kouichi instead.

Takuya opened the door and looked around. Kouji stared at him, waited. Didn’t wave because he really didn’t want to move his shoulder again. Takuya smiled when he finally noticed where Kouji was sat, but the smile changed into a frown. He took a few quick steps, but slowed down when he slipped on the ice. At least he didn’t fall. Kouji laughed. It would have been stupid and hilarious if both of them ended up injured on the sidewalk.

”Hey”, Takuya said and stopped next to Kouji. ”Ground’s slippery.”

”Told you”, Kouji laughed.

Takuya raised an eyebrow, his eyes zeroed in on the way Kouji held his arm. Kouji gave a one-shouldered shrug.

”So when you said you were okay…”

”I said mostly. Help me up?”

Takuya smiled, shook his head and put his hands on Kouji’s knees. Shoved him over to the side where there was still some snow to provide some resistance. Kouji took a deep breath, got his feet under himself. Takuya grabbed his right arm as Kouji stood up and almost slipped again despite the snow. His back twinged and he pressed his face against Takuya’s shoulder.

”Sorry I fell”, he mumbled against it.

Takuya laughed. It shook Kouji’s body, pain shot through his shoulder and he groaned. Takuya stopped laughing.

”How bad is it?”

”Not bad enough to need a hospital?” Kouji said but it sounded more like a question. ”I really just want to get inside already though.”

His body was still shivering. Takuya noticed, pulled away and hung his jacket over Kouji’s shoulders. He wrapped an arm around Kouji’s waist and started walking towards the house.

”Good idea, let’s get you inside and into some warmer clothes.”

It sounded too good to protest and Kouji let Takuya lead him inside. Takuya’s arm was warm, chased away some of the cold from Kouji’s body and offered some comfort from the way his shoulder hurt with every step. Takuya pulled away when they reached the house, opened the door. Kouji felt cold again. Stable, but cold. He tried not to let it show, but his body betrayed him, still shivered. Takuya walked infront of him up the stairs, opened the door to the apartment.

Shinya’s loud voice echoed outside as the door opened and Kouji’s head suddenly felt heavy. He clenched his eyes shut and took a deep breath. Takuya patted his uninjured shoulder.

”He’ll leave soon, dad’s giving him a ride to Tomoki’s place and he’s a bit late.”

”Yeah, I’m just…”

Kouji didn’t know how to explain it. Takuya snickered.

”In pain?” he suggested.

Kouji hmpfed, walked past Takuya into the apartment and sat down on a chair. He leaned forwards to untie his shoes, but his shoulder shifted, moved, hurt, and he sat up straight again, held his breath. Takuya came inside as well, closed the door and looked at Kouji. Tilted his head with a worried smile. Kouji closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall.

”So having a hurt shoulder absolutely sucks”, he said.

Takuya laughed and Kouji opened his eyes again. Watched as Takuya knelt infront of him and untied his shoes. Kouji kicked them off and Takuya put them to the side before helping Kouji out of his coat. The door opened again and Takuya’s dad arrived. Kouji stood up, started moving towards the living room, but Takuya stopped him.

”Hey dad! Can you look at Kouji’s shoulder before driving Shinya?”

”I’m fine, Takuya”, Kouji said.

Because he really didn’t need more people to know how useless he was at walking. Takuya snorted.

”I know”, he said, ”but I want someone who knows stuff to look at it before we start fighting.”

Kouji rolled his eyes and laughed. Shook his head.

”I’m going to the couch. Hi, Mr Kanbara.”

”Hey Kouji. What happened to your shoulder?”

Kouji wasn’t sure how Takuya’s dad was supposed to be able to do something. He grimaced because he had really prefered to just forget the whole thing.

”Slipped on the ice. It’s probably nothing, but…”

”Could be. I’ll look at it in a minute, you go sit down.”

Kouji bowed his head and hurried into the living room. Shinya had retreated from it and Kouji sank down in the couch. He was still shivering and Takuya’s worried gaze returned.

”I have some warm clothes you could borrow?” he suggested.

Kouji curled up against the side of the couch. He considered. He was supposed to head back home later in the evening so he hadn’t brought any extra clothes, but he also hadn’t counted on getting stuck on ice for ten minutes. He nodded.

”Yes, please.”

He sounded a little too whiny for his own liking, but Takuya smiled. Patted Kouji’s right shoulder and disappeared to the bedroom. Takuya’s dad stepped inside. He stopped by the couch, scratched the back of his neck. Kouji curled up further. He felt way too vulnerable and exposed and he didn’t like it. This was supposed to just be a relaxing evening where he and Takuya watched movies and ate popcorn and instead it was… this. Kouji winced as the pain in his shoulder shot up again.

”Clothes!” Takuya’s voice called from behind.

A thick sweater and sweatpants landed in Kouji’s lap. Takuya appeared infront of Kouji two seconds later. Kouji shook his head, grabbed the hem of his shirt and tried to pull it over his head. His shoulder screamed in agony and Kouji stopped moving. Held his breath. Prayed to the gods of the digital world that Takuya and more importantly Takuya’s dad couldn’t see how bad it hurt. He wasn’t quite that lucky. Takuya grabbed his hand, forced him to let go of the shirt and guided it through the hole of the t-shirt, gently pulled it over Kouji’s head and injured arm. Takuya’s hands were warm where they brushed Kouji’s skin and Kouji’s cheeks felt hot.

”You’re absolutely freezing”, Takuya said and tossed the shirt to the side. ”How long were you out there?”

”Ten minutes?” Kouji guessed. ”Might not even have been that long.”

Takuya’s dad put a hand on Kouji’s injured shoulder, pressed at it, and Kouji pulled a sharp breath, reached for Takuya and grabbed his arm. Takuya stepped closer and Kouji pressed his face into Takuya’s side.

”Shit. Okay. I wasn’t ready”, he said when he could breathe again.

”Well yeah, otherwise you would have braced against it”, Takuya’s dad laughed. ”It’s a bit swollen, can you move it?”

Kouji kept his face pressed into Takuya’s side, carefully lifted his arm and rolled his shoulder. He could but…

”It’s… pretty painful”, he admitted.

”Might be a sprain. I’ll get you an icepack.”

”You can sprain your shoulder?” Takuya asked.

There was an amused tone in his voice that Kouji didn’t like one bit. He let go of Takuya and leaned back in the couch instead. Shivered.

”Sprain is just a torn ligament and we have a lot of those”, Takuya’s dad answered.

”That… uh…” Takuya glanced at Kouji. ”That actually sounds pretty painful.”

”Coulda told you that”, Kouji snorted.

Takuya’s dad left and Takuya grabbed the sweater he had brought, pulled it over Kouji’s arm while being careful to not nudge his shoulder. Kouji took a shaky breath. He felt so… stupid. He let out a sigh.

”Sorry for getting injured.”

”It’s fine”, Takuya answered.

He tried to navigate the sweater behind Kouji’s back and Kouji leaned forwards to help. Put his other arm into the sleeve while Takuya held it out for him. Takuya zipped the shirt up and Kouji stood up. Realized that his pants were a bit damp, probably from his butt melting the ice.

”I can change pants on my own”, he said when Takuya moved closer to help.

Although some help would probably have made it easier, Kouji realized when he pulled them down and his shoulder shifted. He kicked them off, pushed them to the side with his foot and grabbed the other pair. It was a little harder to get them on. Gravity worked against him and they fell down to the floor again when he tried to change his grip and they slipped through his fingers. He took a deep and frustrated breath. Takuya watched him, a hand over his mouth and a way too amused expression on his face.

Takuya’s dad returned. Kouji’s cheeks burned and he leaned down, grabbed the pants with both hands and pulled them up. The pain in his shoulder exploded, crawled down his arm, made him dizzy. Black spots danced infront of his eyes and he stumbled forwards. Takuya grabbed him, sat him down in the couch. Kouji’s breaths were shallow, didn’t quite fill up his lungs.

”...Do you want us to call your parents?” Takuya’s dad asked.

He put the icepack on Kouji’s shoulder. The cold numbed the pain somewhat and Kouji’s breaths relaxed. He should probably let them know what had happened. It wasn’t like they’d drop whatever they were doing and head home straight away. But there wasn’t much they could do from out of town either. Kouji took a deep breath and nodded. Might as well. Takuya grabbed Kouji’s phone, sat down next to him on the couch and wrapped an arm around him. Kouji closed his eyes and leaned against Takuya, listened as they made the call, as Takuya started the television, as Shinya returned and started excitedly talk about spending the night at Tomoki’s place.

”Are you tired?” Takuya whispered in the middle of Shinya’s rant.

Shinya kept talking, probably hadn’t heard it. Kouji blinked, looked at the television. He could go for a nap, but it didn’t feel like tiredness, not in the normal sense. He couldn’t describe it to himself even if he wanted to.

”Think I’m just… overwhelmed by everything?” he tried.

”Do you want to go home?”

”No!”

Kouji did not. He had been looking forward to hanging with Takuya so much. Shinya fell silent and Kouji blushed when he realized he had raised his voice.

”No, I’m… good. Fine. I want to stay”, Kouji said and looked away.

Pulled away from Takuya, who pulled him right back.

”Good”, Takuya said. ”I like having you here.”

Takuya’s dad came inside, handed the phone to Kouji.

”Kousei wants to talk to you.”

Kouji wedged the phone between Takuya’s shoulder and his cheek, watched as Takuya’s dad gestured for Shinya to get ready to go.

”Hey, dad”, Kouji said into the phone.

Shinya got up, followed his dad to the hallway. Takuya changed the channel on the television, stopped at a gameshow Kouji had never seen before.

”Are you okay?”

Kouji shivered slightly. He was a bit warmer, dressed in Takuya’s clothes and with Takuya’s arm around him, but not completely heated up yet.

”...mostly”, he admitted.

”Do you want us to come home?”

They’d return the next evening anyway. Kouji shook his head.

”I’m fine, Takuya’s helping me.”

Takuya hugged him closer. Kouji closed his eyes again.

”Alright”, his dad said in the phone. ”Will you be able to walk Wolf?”

Kouji groaned. He had forgotten the reason he wasn’t staying at Takuya’s over the night – he needed to take his dog outside in the evening and morning. He moved his shoulder and took a sharp breath. Shit. He hated to admit it but…

”...I won’t. I’m sorry, I’ll solve it somehow.”

His dad laughed and Kouji blushed. It wasn’t funny in any way, shape or form.

”Don’t worry about it, I’ll call the neighbours and ask them to do it. You stay there and we’ll come get you tomorrow.”

Kouji started protesting but his dad interrupted.

”I already talked with Mr Kanbara about it. In fact he insisted.”

Kouji sighed. Takuya changed the channel again. Maybe he was getting bored. The door to the apartment opened and closed and Shinya’s voice disappeared. Kouji grabbed Takuya’s hand, realized what he had done and hoped the ground would open up and swallow him. It didn’t. Takuya squeezed his hand.

”Yeah okay”, Kouji said into the phone. His voice trembled. ”Thank you, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Takuya grabbed the phone and ended the call and Kouji leaned heavier against Takuya. Takuya squeezed Kouji’s hand again.

”So?” he asked. ”Are they coming to take you from me?”

Kouji shook his head, pulled away from Takuya and leaned against the back of the couch instead. The icepack started sliding off his shoulder and he grabbed it and placed it in a better position.

”Been ordered to stay here until tomorrow evening”, Kouji answered. ”So we’ll have time to watch all those movies we were arguing about.”

”If you’re forcing me to watch Titanic I’m throwing you out though.”

Kouji snorted and shook his head.

”That was a joke, Izumi said I should suggest it just to see your reaction. You did look hilarious when I did.”

”It’s for girls”, Takuya argued.

Kouji took a deep breath. He was too tired to do any kind of arguing. Takuya noticed, grabbed a blanket from the armchair and stood up before wrapping it around Kouji.

”I’ll order pizza for us, you take a short nap on the couch while we wait for them and I boot up a movie.”

Kouji started protesting but was once again interrupted.

”It’s not a question”, Takuya said.

He leaned down, kissed the top of Kouji’s head. Quickly stepped away again. His cheeks were red. Kouji’s felt hot as well. Takuya looked away.

”It’ll just be more fun if you have energy to argue”, he said and took the phone from the couch.

Kouji… didn’t know what to say. He scratched the back of his neck, nodded and laid down. Swallowed and watched Takuya as he walked away, into the kitchen. Closed his eyes.

The evening was shaping up to be more interesting than he had thought.

[passerine-writes]

Minecraft Neighbors - Level 11

Warnings: Mentions of insecurities and negative thoughts/body perception

Word count: 2131

Apologies in advance! The mini series is going to have to get switched up a little bit when written into the full story, apparently my lack of time perception is warped even when writing, haha!

Back to Masterlist

Today was not okay. And neither was the next week.

My father still wasn't talking to me, and it was clear that he had gone back to drinking more since my surgery. Mom was constantly trying to keep the family together, but at this point, I didn't even want to be home. I decided to crash at Noya's house for the weekend, he could tell I was stressed and offered since he's also the closest I'm to out of second years aside from Tanaka. The bald man joined for the weekend too however, so the three of us pigged out on snacks, watched movies and played video games. It was exactly what I needed in all honesty. Kenma and I didn't get much sleep though, we had become so accustomed to falling asleep on the phone with one another that it became difficult not to. So instead we constantly texted one another until we got tired enough to pass out.

My mom and I ended up having boy talk and she absolutely adores Kenma, it was funny explaining to her what exactly an undercut was and she was so confused but over all, she was happy. She smiled brightly as I gushed about Kenma and all of the things I adore about him and even said she wanted to meet him in person at some point.

I tried talking to my father, okay correction, I tried tolerating being around my father. I didn't see the point of me apologizing. Plus he's breaking the steps of his sobriety and all of that fun stuff, I miss having a dad. Yeah, Daichi is amazing, and I absolutely love him to death, but it's not the same. He's my older brother, not my father, and I don't expect him to try and act like a paternal figure. Despite that, he's done a better job in the last week than my father has in the last few years. Yeah, I know, parents grieve after their child comes out and everything, but I want my Dad back. I want back the man who used to sit and watch a movie with me, who allowed me to stay up super later so we could finish our shows, who would hold me close while I was crying. Not the man who turned back to alcohol after twenty years and blames me for it, who yells at anything I say because he's unpredictable, who only cared when I was injured because it required surgery.

The second week back to school was easier than I predicted it would be, thankfully we worked out physical therapy to be on the weekends, so Daichi and I didn't have to worry about driving on the weekdays with practice and what not. What I wasn't expecting was Yamaguchi to approach me at the end of practice, with an overly nervous expression and fidgeting hands.

"Hey, Yams, everything okay?" I slid over a bit to signal him to sit down beside me, which he hesitantly did.

"Uh, y-yeah! I guess I just had something to ask you?" I cocked my head, the peculiarity of this situation enticing me but also raising my internal questions.

"You don't have to be so tense, kid. I'm not gonna bite like my brother might. What'd you wanna ask me?" He huffed out a nervous laugh at my phrasing before trying to find his words.

"Uh, I uh, h-how did you know? How did you know you were different than what the world is saying is normal?" I paused at his question.

"Well the fact that you're reaching out and asking for advice shows where your thoughts are at. For me, I didn't have the most conventional or standard way of finding out. I made online friends because I didn't feel like I had to pretend. I didn't have to pretend to be feminine or straight. Honestly, one of my biggest fears is letting people down and I was scared of doing just that when in reality, I just wanted to be myself. I knew I felt different when I was younger, but I never had the words to put it together. So, I hid. I wanted to try and be that girl in the picture my parents had painted in their heads, but really? It made things worse. So I stopped hiding. It was hard and terrifying, and it still is. When I came out as bi, my parents held onto a hope that their 'daughter' would marry a nice young man. When I came out as non-binary, it went as well as it could. But what even is 'normal'? Everyone should be normal in their own ways, not by a set of rules. Sure, I'm still figuring that out myself and still struggling to believe it because there are days where I don't feel normal.  What I'm getting at is, it's okay to not meet everyone's expectations, because you're not letting them down. The only way you could do that is by intentionally hurting people along the way, and you aren't that kind of person, Yamaguchi." His eyes started welling with tears as I reached the end of my sentiment, clearly not expecting all of that.

"I- Thank you." I smiled softly and ruffled his hair.

"You're welcome, so if you don't mind me asking, what prompted you to talk to me?" His mouth opened and shut like a fish out of water for a moment, his eyes nervously darting across the gymnasium.

"I think I like Tsukki, in a more than best friend way." I smiled to myself and nodded.

"There's nothing wrong about that. I kinda had a feeling you had feelings towards him but I wasn't completely sure until you just told me."

"Y-You knew?" He all but squeaked.

"I only had a feeling, do you ever get that feeling that you just know someone is gay or bi?" He nodded along with wide eyes. "The nick name for that is a gaydar, and typically only gay or bi people have that." His eyes went as wide as saucers and I could practically see the puzzle pieces falling into place. "Well, you go help clean up. And don't worry yourself sick, I won't tell anyone. If anyone asks, I looked lonely and you figured you'd say hi for a bit and we just got caught up talking. This is just between you and me until you're comfortable with people knowing." He nodded once more and bid me goodbye.

Well, that was interesting.

Once I got home, I retreated to my room, since I was finally trusted to go up the stairs now and was no longer sleeping on the couch. However, I immediately logged onto my gaming set up and joined Kenma's live. He was playing on our main shared world, and by the looks of it, he just started. I started my own stream as well and joined the world.

"Hi Ken Ken!" I almost heard his soft smile before he answered.

"Hi Sawa. Back to streaming now?"

The chat blew up, people asking why I was on a hiatus and where I went. Thankfully, my gaming set up didn't have a camera so nobody saw me grimace at the thought of my knee and it's appearance.

"Well, to answer everyone in the chat, I'm basically part cyborg now!" Kenma and I laughed together as the chat blew up. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I had to!"

Fake it until you make it.

"I had a knee injury about a year ago, which is actually the reason that Ken Ken and I met I guess. My brother got Minecraft for me as a 'feel better soon' present. But my first surgery was messed up so I had to get another one done, which is the reason why I had to get another one and I had to sleep on the couch for a few weeks which is why I was on a brief hiatus."

The chat blew up again, people hoping I make a full recovery and that I heal quick, they're glad I'm back, etcetera. But I got lost in thought again. My mind returning back to the four ugly scars decorating my knee cap. I despised them. They just served as a permanent reminder of so many things. My phone buzzing brought me out of my thoughts. Thankfully, the stream didn't catch on since I was fighting mobs, everyone assumed I was focusing, aside from Kenma.

From My Pudding Head 💞: Are you alright love?

To My Pudding Head 💞: Yeah, I'm alright <3

To My Pudding Head 💞: Do you think we should tell people on our streams? Idk about you, but I've already gotten plenty of people asking in my chat

From My Pudding Head 💞: Sure, would you like to do the honors?

I smiled a bit and went back to talking in my stream.

"Sorry everyone! I got a text, but I'm back!"

The chat started going on about how it had to be Kodzuken and I texting each other.

"Speaking of Kodzuken, Ken Ken! C'mere!" I could hear him sighing out a laugh through the headset, a part of me warm and fuzzy. I crouched in front of his Minecraft skin and changed the perspective to third person. "I know I've already said this today, but happy one month anniversary." I tossed him a cat spawn egg that I found and I could practically hear the people in the chat screaming through their messages.

"Happy one month anniversary, love." He tossed me a wolf spawn egg and crouched as well.

"I think we should address the stream comments now." He laughed but agreed and told me to go first. "Alright, so first up, yes we have been together for a month. Why didn't we tell people? Well, one week into dating I was sorta hospitalized so there's that but also personal lives and whatnot I suppose. Uhhh, let's see.. Oh! Have we met in person? Yes we have actually and no, I'm not disclosing his name so hush. When did I realize I liked him? Uh-" I cleared my throat awkwardly, my face flushing pink.

"Yeah Sawa, when did you realize? I'm curious." I could just hear how cheeky he was being.

"I'll tell you later, in simple terms? Months ago. Okay Ken Ken, your turn."

"So you two are officially mom and dad of the server? Sawa, you can answer this one." My heart fluttered at how he simply respected my boundaries about who to tell and who not to tell.

"For anyone new here, I am actually non-binary and use they/them pronouns! I'm not a female so I can't be the mom. But I'll take parent or 'ren' for short, so I guess we're the parents of the server."

"Oh.. block." I laughed at Kenma's lack of hesitation to block to response. "I'm trying to find non-repeated questions. How did I react to Sawa being in the hospital? I was worried but it's understandable I suppose. Hmm, who's taller? Uh, Sawa looks taller but we're actually the same height. When will you two see each other again? I'm not sure at the moment."

After he answered his questions, we both ended our streams and switched to FaceTime, both of us relieved to have some peace and quiet after the stream blew up. It was peaceful, we made light conversation here and there, and continued playing our game.

"Hey, about earlier.. are you sure you're alright? You seem distant." I smiled softly at his attentiveness and how much he cared, but on the inside I was scared. I have all these secrets piled up that could make him want to leave at any moment. So many questions in my head from over thinking and worrying, negative plagues filling my head and spreading after just a drop. And that's all it took, one drop multiplying into a lake, filling an ocean that I wish I could ignore. "Y/N?" My head shot in the direction of Kenma, realizing I spaced out.

"Sorry, got lost in thought. Yeah, I'll be alright. How has your day been though?" His face softened even more but didn't push which I was silently thankful for.

"It was okay, I miss you though." His voice was delicate as he spoke, his compelling monotoned voice holding a bit of emotion.

"I miss you too. I really hope I can see you soon."