#acts of service

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Love Languages

Acts of Service

Doing something for the partner that they will enjoy or makes their life easier.

cooking for them

running errands for them

giving them a massage

planning something fun to do together

doing household chores

cleaning and caring for their car

making appointments for them

giving them a night off by caring for the kids

packing them lunch boxes

making them breakfast

cleaning the house unprompted

drawing them a bath

bringing them their favourite snacks

arranging a self-care day for them

being there for them for important and unimportant events

asking about them and listening to what they have to tell

More: Love Language - Showing, not telling love | Love Language - Showing you care

[bilosan]

buck being there for and helping eddie ↳ “isn’t that what we all want in a partner? knowing that they have your back?”

[vroomvroomwee]

If I ever give you an interesting rock without uttering a word, you should know that that is the highest form of love I am capable of displaying and the highest honour I can bestow upon you

[keyotosprompts]

i'd give you everything ‧₊˚✩彡

acts of service prompts

⇴ person a is lying in bed but has to get up and get their computer for work. while hearing person a complain, person b gets up and grabs the computer for person a (midrant).

⇴ "let me pay you back." "no." "no? why?" "because i love you."

⇴ person a is slumped asf and their head is in an uncomfortable position on their pillow. person b gently lifts person a's head up and places it comfortably on person b's shoulder/bicep.

⇴ person b is not very vocal about how they love, so they tend to show person a that they love them with actions. person b always covers the corner of the table, walks on the side of the sidewalk, and puts a hand over person a's head when there's rain (and no umbrella).

⇴ "shit, i forgot to grab an umbrella. i didn't know it was raining" (sad face). "it's okay" (grabs jacket and puts it over a or puts a hand over a's head while running through the rain together)

⇴ grocery shopping but person b is putting everything in the bags in specific categories based on different factors so person a doesn't have stress about where anything is placed (just me?)

⇴ person b finishes up a project for person a because person a is on the verge of collapse ("when did i finish this??" and person b is just like "last night")

⇴ person a knowing that person b doesn't take care of themselves, so person a comes over to person b's house and brings them a care box. it's filled with all their favorite snacks/drinks (bonus points if person b didn't tell them what their favorites were, person a just knew).

⇴ "if you need anything, don't even hesitate to ask."

⇴ "are you kidding? you thought you needed to ask?" (percabeth anyone??)

⇴ person a & b are sitting around together, until b notices that a is shivering. they get up and sprint towards their shared room, grabbing a blanket and wrapping a in it.

⇴ ^^ "get in here too" with a cheeky cute smile that b cannot help but swoon over. it's like their heart is about to rupture out of their chest after looking at a's smile. they feel a grin break across their face as they snuggle up to a.

⇴ person a always drives around person b, even if it's inconvenient for their schedule. to person a, they'd rather take the long road and get to do something for b.

[createserenity]

Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship dynamic fascinates me and what fascinates me even more is how people perceive them, partly because I seem to have a much more optimistic view of their dynamic than a lot of what I read suggests they do.

With that in mind I started trying to unpick how I see their dynamic and why and what I ended up with was a series of rambles on various aspects, including confidence, trust, silliness and what they ask of each other. This one is about what they ask of each other and why their relationship isn't some weird one-sided thing where Crowley gives Aziraphale everything he could possibly want or ask for.

I see a lot of posts and things suggesting Crowley always rolls over and does anything Aziraphale asks of him. I don’t know to what extent most people really believe this or if it’s just a fun joke (and I’m not saying that’s bad, I think it’s a fun joke too, I love reading all that stuff and it makes me laugh). The point I wanted to make here though is that I don’t think it’s true and also why I don’t think it’s true.

Everything from here on out is my opinion, but I won’t keep stating that in order to make it more easily readable, just take it as a given. If your opinion is different that’s absolutely fine, I love that we can all see this stuff in different ways depending on our experiences and personalities, it’s why the fandom is so fun. (It’s also why my opinion on so many things in season two ricochets wildly from one theory to another).

So back to Crowley and Aziraphale – I don’t think Aziraphale walks all over Crowley, or certainly not to the extent that people sometimes think he does. Also Crowley doesn’t and wouldn’t allow himself to be walked all over anyway. Why is this even relevant? Because I’ve seen people say that in the final 15 minutes Aziraphale finally asked Crowley to do something that pushed him over the edge and that Aziraphale was shocked when Crowley didn’t roll over and do it because Crowley always does what Aziraphale asks. This isn’t at all true for a start, but also this view tends to include a second assumption, which is that their relationship is one-sided and Aziraphale never does anything for Crowley, that he dismisses him and takes him for granted, which also is not true in a lot of ways. I think it’s a fundamental misinterpretation of their relationship dynamic.  

First of all why can Crowley’s actions be interpreted as just rolling over and doing whatever Aziraphale wants? Well, the answer to that is three-fold – firstly Crowley is a genuinely unselfish in many ways, he does things for people because that’s the way he is, it doesn’t make him a pushover, it just makes him nice. Secondly he loves Aziraphale deeply. Whether he knows it or not doesn’t matter, he cares for Aziraphale and wants him to be happy. This isn’t the same as being a complete doormat, it’s simply compromising with the person you are in a relationship with and occasionally prioritising them over yourself. Both these things come together in the third thing, which is that Crowley’s love language is acts of service – he enjoys doing nice things for Aziraphale, he enjoys rescuing him, or going along with him and letting him have his own way, so why not do it? The point is he’s never railroaded into it by Aziraphale, it’s always a deliberate choice. He is literally saying, I will do this thing for you because I love you and I enjoy making you happy and this is something I feel I can give to you.

How does Aziraphale see this behaviour?

Well that’s a tricky one, because in many ways Aziraphale is the more complex character, not least because he changes the most over the course of their history together. Is there a slight element of him taking Crowley for granted in some of their interactions, especially in season two? Possibly, but mostly I don’t think that’s it at all. When someone gives you things because their love language is acts of service you develop a (mostly sub-conscious) confidence in that relationship dynamic and if you also have confidence in yourself (which Aziraphale absolutely does – I’ll write more on this another time) then when you want something you ask for things. You ask not because you learn to expect, but because you think you’re worthy of asking and you think that your relationship is strong enough to stand up to the ask. I ask my husband for things all the time, sometimes they’re things I know he’ll give me – these are easy asks (I don’t just mean physical objects, I also mean acts of service such as helping me with something), sometimes though I’ll ask for things knowing he probably won’t give me that thing or without having a clue what his answer will be – these are harder asks, the sort you don’t do early on in relationships because they might break it either in one go or over time. Sometimes a hard ask results in me getting what I want, sometimes it results in a bit of back and forth before I get what I want, sometimes I get a no and I’m temporarily annoyed or upset, sometimes I get a no and I accept it because I knew it was the most likely outcome.

The point is that I ask, and so does Aziraphale. You ask because you have confidence that you are worthy of the ask and also that your relationship is strong enough to bear the request, even if the answer is no. Can a no still be annoying or upsetting? Yes absolutely. Can a no still be wrong on the part of the other person? Also yes. The point is that sometimes the no isn’t wrong and it doesn’t necessarily break the relationship. By the time season two comes along Aziraphale is confident enough in his relationship with Crowley to feel it can bear the weight of him asking.

So what happens when he asks? Does Crowley roll over?

Well no, he doesn’t. One big example of this is right at the beginning of the series, in episode one. Here Aziraphale makes a massive ask of Crowley and he knows it’s a big ask. Even before he tells Crowley what the problem is he’s aware of the possibility of a no. “Is it something I can help you with?” Crowley sayss, and Aziraphale merely shrugs. It’s not because Nina is there, she’s gone by that point. It’s also not because he doesn’t have faith in Crowley’s ability to help him, he always has faith in Crowley’s abilities (this is a whole other thing on trust). What he’s doubting is whether Crowley will help him. It’s why they’re meeting in the café, not the bookshop. He wants to break this one to Crowley a bit at a time – there’s a problem and I need help. I want your help, it’s why I called you, but you aren’t going to like it and I’m not even sure whether you will help so I’m establishing that I need help first, rather than showing you Gabriel immediately, so that you aren’t completely surprised when I present the whole problem to you.

Once they go to the bookshop and Crowley is confronted with Gabriel he offers the help he feels able to give by saying that he’ll drive Gabriel somewhere and dump him. He’s stating his willingness to help (which is important later), but for now he’ll only help in one specific way. What he isn’t willing to do is any more than that, not even for Aziraphale.

Help me take care of Gabriel. Help me sort this mess out, Aziraphale says, and what does Crowley say? No. Absolutely not. You’re on your own with this one. Even after Aziraphale practically begs him for help, complete with puppy dog eyes and the magic word, “I’d love you to help me,” Crowley still says no. That is not the reply of someone who lets themselves be walked all over or who rolls over every time the angel they’re in love with flutters their eyelashes.

Okay so what about the fact that he returns? Well, the stakes have been raised: for a start Aziraphale is now directly in danger, which alters the balance in favour of helping him, and remember he was already willing to help, he said as much, but he was previously only willing to help in one way. Now that’s changed. Doing things you wouldn’t normally do for someone you love when the stakes are raised is a perfectly normal rection in a relationship and does not indicate an unhealthy dynamic. Crowley has now realised that getting rid of Gabriel is no longer an option - his preferred plan (dumping Gabriel somewhere) will no longer work, so the only choice is now Aziraphale’s plan of keeping him in the bookshop and taking care of him.

This is why he returns.

A quick note on the call

Just backtracking a bit here – when Aziraphale calls Crowley to ask him for help Crowley agrees to be over in two minutes. It’s instant, no questions asked and at first glance looks like Aziraphale calls and Crowley comes running just because. But nope. Later we are very clearly told that Crowley knows something is wrong the moment he picks up the phone and Aziraphale starts speaking, “This was your ‘Something’s Wrong’ voice.” Crowley already knows there’s a problem and what do you do when your closest friend calls you and tells you about a problem? You try to help. Whether that’s advice, comfort, physically going around to help out or whatever the situation calls for. Of course Crowley says he’ll be there in two minutes, he doesn’t exactly have anything else on and his friend has just indirectly told him something is wrong. He’d be a pretty shitty person/entity if he didn’t agree to drop round and try to help.

So what about the 'I was wrong' dance?

This whole interaction, that many people say indicates how under the thumb he is actually shows us the exact opposite. What’s the first thing Crowley says when Aziraphale asks him to do the dance? “I don’t do the dance.” This tells us a hell of a lot about their relationship dynamic up to this point – for a start Aziraphale has clearly done the dance before, at Crowley’s request, and he lists off the occasions. The dance is silly and slightly demeaning and Aziraphale has done it several times for Crowley, whilst Crowley has never done it, yet somehow we read this whole scene as Crowley being the whipped one? Um. No. Also heavily implied in Crowley’s, “I don’t do the dance” statement is, You’ve asked me to do this before, I’ve always said no because I don’t want to. You’ve always accepted my no before and I want (expect!) you to accept it this time.

But this time Aziraphale doesn’t accept the no. Just like Crowley wouldn’t go along with his plan earlier, Aziraphale now won’t go along with Crowley’s no. Clearly he has done so in the past, but this time their dynamics are different. They’ve been much more open about their friendship for the past four years, they’ve both accepted that they are at least close friends, if not more. They’ve saved the world together and saved each other. They both acknowledge they “carved (this existence) out for ourselves” and that brings strength to their relationship. Now that Aziraphale has more confidence in what they are to each other, he takes that confidence and tests the limits of what Crowley will do for him, to push them more towards equality. Why should he always be the one to do the dance? Crowley responds by acquiescing not because he would just roll over and do anything for Aziraphale but because he recognises three things. Firstly that Aziraphale is pushing and that this is new and that this means something to him in the context of their relationship, secondly because he reluctantly accepts Aziraphale’s point that it isn’t really fair that he never does it, and finally because the request for him to do the dance isn’t about him refusing to help (Aziraphale was never certain he would), it’s about the fact that he’s broken Aziraphale’s trust by refusing to help (which is a slightly and very subtly different thing). To illustrate this, right before Crowley does the dance, just after he says “fine,” he gets this very brief, soft look on his face – this is him acknowledging to himself that Aziraphale deserves this dance, that he loves the angel and that he’s doing this because of both those things – he could have continued to insist on a no, he clearly has before, but this time he chooses not to.

I will do this thing for you because I love you and I enjoy making you happy and this is something I feel I can give to you.

All right, what about the car thing?

What about it? Lending your car to the person you love is very normal. Ok so the car means more to Crowley than a normal car does to us, but the point still stands. Aziraphale is making a reasonable request here. Does he expect a yes? Absolutely, because he also knows it’s a reasonable request given where their relationship is. Does he flirt to get his own way? Hell, yes. Does Crowley know exactly what Aziraphale is playing at? Also a hell yes. And Crowley totally plays up to it, he’s not as opposed to it as he claims. He’s playing up his “no” and his grumpiness for effect, to encourage Aziraphale’s silly flirtiness. Look at the difference between this no and the no he gave Aziraphale earlier. There’s no anger here, there’s no real sense that he thinks Aziraphale is asking too much, he’s playing a role in their relationship and they’ve both played this game before. Look at that little slap of the hand, which Aziraphale responds to equally playfully. The game even continues after Muriel turns up at the shop, when it’s already quite clear that Crowley is going to let Aziraphale use the car (he’s already taking the plants out). Even in the back-room Crowley still teasingly grumbles about trains whilst Aziraphale smiles flirtily, and Crowley playfully withholds the car keys when Muriel interrupts them. They both know Aziraphale is going to end up with them, there’s no point to him not directly handing them over in spite of the interruption, it’s just an excuse to tease Aziraphale back. I mean, look at him – he spends the rest of the conversation wiggling his hips, grinning smugly and confidently handling the Muriel problem by talking about love. Aziraphale’s very overt reaction tells you all you need to know about the dynamic of this one.

Two can play at this flirting game, angel.

But he follows him around like a little puppy!

Well, yes and no. Sure he follows him around whilst he goes around asking all the shopkeepers to the meeting, but he does that because it’s fun for him. He’s curious, Aziraphale is acting oddly, doing something he’s never done before and Crowley wants to know what it is. He’s always found him fascinating – what silly and ridiculous thing is the angel up to now?

Also wanting to hang out with the person you are in love with isn’t at all strange or a sign you are in some sort of weird relationship where only one of you calls the shots. It’s normal. Crowley knows Aziraphale has a tendency to be silly or do unexpected things and he wants to watch him do them and also flirt with him whilst he’s doing them. Looking grumpy and reacting to Aziraphale’s silliness with disbelief is how Crowley flirts-without-flirting. Both of them know, understand and like that dynamic, and he has that role not because he’s unhealthy levels enthralled with everything Aziraphale does but because of the levels of trust they have spent millennia establishing.

What Crowley doesn’t do is wait around for Aziraphale. Look at the scene where Aziraphale daydreams about Job. In that scene he’s aware Aziraphale has something else to show him (the record clue), but he doesn’t stick around whilst Aziraphale ignores him. He could have sat down somewhere in the shop and waited – he’s got an eternity, waiting an hour or so is no big deal, but waiting around like that would suggest he really is a doormat, just waiting for the next time Aziraphale shows him any attention. He doesn’t do that, instead he goes off and does… well, something. There’s a lot of speculation over what it is, but whether he goes off to read Pride and Prejudice or just wanders off to find something more interesting to look at than the back of Aziraphale’s head, he’s clearly saying here that he has a life outside of whatever Aziraphale wants to do.

Also side note - you know what else he doesn’t do for Aziraphale? Adjust his driving style. Aziraphale clearly hates it, it makes him nervous and he even asks Crowley to change several times whilst they’re in the car together, but Crowley never does. This is how I am angel, accept it or don’t, but this is the line and I’m not changing this for you. Related to this is his refusal to accept Aziraphale altering the Bentley. Aziraphale tries to persuade him, “But it’s pretty,” and Crowley really isn’t having it. It’s another hard line and he’s not going to let Aziraphale cross it.

Anything else?

There’s a few other examples that I’ve seen listed in the, “Crowley does whatever Aziraphale says/wants” evidence piles. Things like Aziraphale assuming he’s going to get the drinks in the pub. Well, someone has to get them, and it makes perfect sense that they both assume it’s Crowley here because he’s the one more comfortable with pubs. Having a role that you take on within certain situations in a relationship is healthy and normal, imagine how exhausting it would be to debate who is going to do every little thing all of the time.

In the first series the coat cleaning is another example often cited, but this is something Crowley is perfectly happy to do. Aziraphale is flirting, which is delightful, and he’s not being asked to do anything difficult or dangerous. I will do this thing for you because I love you and I enjoy making you happy and this is something I feel I can give to you, which is totally different from, you always ask, I always give, and you always take.

What about Aziraphale. When does he give?

All the damn time. We just don’t notice it as much because Crowley asks different things of him. His love language is acts of service towards others, but he doesn’t really ask or require them in return. Sometimes he gets them from Aziraphale anyway (Holy water anyone?) Also notably in the Globe Theatre when he’s clearly the one pushing the Arrangement, and Aziraphale more or less agrees to do his work for him (“That doesn’t sound like hard work”) even before he’s asked, before they’ve gone through their little dance of Crowley pushing and Aziraphale supposedly-reluctantly agreeing.

The other things Aziraphale gives Crowley are much more nuanced, and much less measurable to us as the audience, but he gives them constantly, or more or less constantly, throughout their relationship. He gives him acceptance (although he occasionally partially withdraws it, such as in the bandstand scene), his silliness (which is more important than it first appears), a safe space (not just the bookshop, but also a safe space for Crowley to air his real views without fear of consequence, which is important irrespective of whether or not he persuades Aziraphale to agree with him), his physicality (by 1826 he’s really in Crowley’s space so much of the time) and most importantly he gives Crowley himself. Crowley constantly pushes Aziraphale to grow as a person, it’s one of the original reasons he entertains developing a friendship with him. What he asks of Aziraphale is for Aziraphale to think – really think – about what he believes. And Aziraphale does so, but only for Crowley. Humans have constantly questioned religious beliefs throughout history, they’ve written books, made speeches and even had wars over religious doctrine and the problems, inconsistencies and absurdities within it. Crowley is saying nothing to Aziraphale that he won’t already have indirectly heard from humans and dismissed or ignored. But when Crowley says it, he thinks and he changes. That’s what Crowley asks of Aziraphale and it’s what Aziraphale gives him.

What was the point of all this waffle?

Well, honestly there isn’t much of one. Only that their relationship is much more balanced than some suggest and I think I just wanted to spell that out. It also has an implication for the final 15 minutes. There’s no way Aziraphale goes into that with some sort of fake confidence that he can persuade Crowley to follow him to heaven simply because Crowley always follows him – Crowley doesn’t, he has very clear limits that he enforces with Aziraphale and Aziraphale knows this. He might feel confident for other reasons (such as thinking Crowley will be happy to be an angel again) or something else entirely different might be happening (so many theories!) but I’m pretty sure it’s nothing to do with thinking Crowley always does what he asks, because he very clearly doesn’t.

It's also why Crowley waits around afterwards to watch Aziraphale leave. It’s a way indirectly of saying one final time, I love you and I enjoy making you happy… but this is something I cannot give to you.

[eloquent-edits]

🗡️ You give so much to others

It’s time someone gave back to you 🗡️ acts of service and fluff prompts

Character A hates washing the dishes and Character B hates cooking, so they do those things for each other

“You don’t have to do anything to pay me back. Your happiness is more than enough.”

A is going through a major depressive episode and B comes by to help clean their room and give them company

B sets up candles, a warm bath, and dim lighting for A to relax in after a stressful work event

B carpools with A a lot. They notice the gas tank is running low and plant a $20 bill in the console for A to find later (B vehemently denies ever putting it there, but A absolutely knows)

A is sick and B goes out of their way to grab medicine and extra tissues to drop off at A’s doorstep

After A ends up in the hospital, B makes sure A’s place stays clean, their pets are fed and taken care of, and that A will have nothing to worry about when they are well again

B automatically sets aside a larger portion for A’s meals because they know that A will be hungrier than they expect

A is sensitive to light and B buys blackout curtains for their room so they can sleep better

“I’ll handle this! You go have fun, I’ll be there in a second.”

B will always pick A up after they travel internationally for work so A can sleep and recover from jet lag

B covers the corner of sharp tables for A (listen it’s just THE SWEETEST thing I’ve seen done for someone ack)

A is busy putting on makeup, so B gently detangles and does their hair (and it’s not as simple as just putting their hair into a ponytail, I’m talking weaves and braids and intricate designs that show B paid attention to this)

“Let me take care of it.”

A complains about their back or neck pain so B gives them a massage (mainly to stop their complaining LOL)

B will occasionally take A’s bath towel while A showers and run it through the dryer so it’s nice and warm when A gets out

A is anxious about finances (they just got a new job) and B helps them work through it and understand all the confusing things

A’s new apartment is not on the first floor and the elevator is out of order, so B moves the big furniture for A up all those flights of stairs

Chronic pain makes it difficult for A to leave the house sometimes, but B makes sure they never run out of medication by picking up A’s prescriptions

“You really didn’t have to do that for me.” “Well, I wanted to. Now you don’t have to do it!”

[eggo-tistical]

i think they might be boy best friends guys.. it’s hard to tell

[zumurruds]

He felt remade with the desire to give Laurent this: to give him all he would allow, and to ask for nothing, this careful threshold something to be savoured because it was all Laurent would let himself have.

Kingsley / C.S. Pacat / Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude / @sunsbleeding / intimacy - E.C. - 2020 / Christopher Citro / Denis Sarazhin / Mirror, Mirror / Still Life with Copper Pots, Melon, Tortoise and a Wedge of Cheese / Jeanette Winterson / @whsprings / Denis Sarazhin / Anne Carson / Nina LaCour / Stephan Sinding / Kim Zimmerman / Aaron Spong / Tony Belobrajdic / Aaron Sprong / TM Davy / unknown / Orestes by Euripides / unknown / Sebastian Moreno Coronel / Hugh Auchincloss Steers / Tomas Castano / Jose de Juan / reddit / Del Parson / David Pimm / The Color Purple / Nastassja Nikitina / unknown / Ilya Kaminsky / Ocean Vuong / Eden Robinson / Milsae Kim

[herfaithfulsquire]

Please, allow me.

[willowworkswithwords]

Steve receives love the way he gives it and doesn’t know what to do with himself.

so i was going through my drafts folder because i'm thinking it's time to dip my foot back into the fic writing pool, and I found this collection of snippets and ideas that all stemmed from this post from @rogueddie. I thought about maybe elaborating on some of these, but I also wanted to share because I really enjoyed this idea. I also think I may have posted about this a long while back, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't the whole thing.

-Future -> uses a pen like a sorta-stylus to hit each of his computer keys sometimes. Eddie figures out it’s because the keys don’t have enough physical separation between them (they’re so shallow) and it sometimes messes with his eyes [is this a feasible vision issue he might have??] so Eddie buys him an “old fashioned” keyboard with the big keys, one of the big colorful trendy ones.

-Eddie and Wayne keep the foods he like, foods he’ll always eat no matter what. Eddie notices that he’ll never ask for any special foods when Wayne makes the grocery list (when he moves in with them) so he starts being sneaky and goes on a recon mission a.k.a. asking Robin, Nancy, and the kids what he likes. Since Steve also loves to cook, Eddie looks through his cookbooks and recipe box and finds the ones with notes on them and him and Wayne practice how to make them

“Hey Wayne?”

“Yeah?” Wayne calls from the couch, beer in hand and the game on.

Steve steps out from the kitchen, box of tea in hand.

“Where’d this come from?”

Wayne doesn’t turn around.

“What is it?”

“Uh, the tea?”

“Picked that up for you the other day, since you were saying you like it better than coffee sometimes.”

“Yeah but… you and Eddie don’t like tea?”

He doesn’t know why he says it like a question.

Wayne tilts his head against the back of the couch, craning it to look at Steve in a way that’s so reminiscent of Eddie it makes Steve smile a little.

“You do, though.”

-Right before Steve moves in, when he’s an anxious mess because his parents are coming back but he doesn’t realize he’s anxious for that reason, he starts hiding little bits of his stuff in the trailer, mostly in Eddie’s room and around the kitchen. This puzzles Eddie but Wayne thinks it’s like Steve’s trying to expel his energy in a not-so-productive way, though there are worse ways. So, Wayne starts asking Steve to help more around the house, but especially with repairs bc they found out that Steve knew a lot about repair.

Steve’s been around a lot. Wayne sees his pile of folded bedding tucked behind the couch, and sometimes he sees the Beemer leaving the trailer park as he comes up the road from the plant. During daylight hours, when Steve comes by to help Eddie or brings the kids over or stays for dinner, he shows almost no signs of anything being wrong.

But Wayne is a combat veteran. It’s been a long time for him, but he hasn’t forgotten, and he never will. He knows his nephew went through war, and that Steve was right alongside him. From what Wayne has gathered, Steve had been in that war for a few years, and had been dealing with the ups-and-downs for two years before Eddie ever knew about it.

It hurts Wayne deeply, to see the children (because that’s what they are—as he and all his comrades had been) endure the aftermath. So he sees when Steve flinches, when he clenches his fists, when he holds his breath and makes himself breathe evenly.

Tonight is the least in-control he’s ever seen Steve.

He’s over for dinner again. All three of them are in the living room, a baseball game on, much to Eddie’s long-suffering sighs.

-Steve will make his opinion known about arbitrary stuff like movies and music, but if it’s been a Bad Day or a Bad Time, and he does, and Eddie reacts to it in a way Steve sees as criticism, he will then defer everything to Eddie to a frustrating degree. Eddie finds out that when it comes to their relationship, not any other relationship Steve has, Steve is extremely afraid of screwing it up so he thinks that means he should let Eddie call all the shots.

-Eddie memorizes Steve’s orders at restaurants

-Eddie sews Steve’s clothes without Steve ever realizing

The sun is just peaking through the windows of the trailer on a Thursday morning when Eddie gets to work. Steve, when exhausted, will sleep through just about anything, and the week had been a long one. Eddie had the opposite problem, finding little respite even curled around Steve. So, the early morning found him gathering up Steve’s clothes and taking them out to the front porch of the trailer.

Already out there on the side table was his sewing kit, spools of thread and thimbles neat and ready. Already out there on the couch was Wayne, sipping his morning post-work coffee and looking out over the misty park.

Without a word, Eddie settled onto his end of the couch, knees pulled up, and grabbed one of Steve’s jeans. There was a rip along the inseam, and Eddie took to it with steady persistence. After the jeans were shirts and three sweatshirts. Stitch after stitch after stitch, and soon Steve wasn’t left with a single hole in all his wardrobe.

“He still hasn’t figured it out yet?” Wayne asks, grinning into his coffee.

“Nope. I’ve almost convinced him of the existence of brownies.”

Wayne barks a laugh and Eddie smiles down at the last rip he’s fixing, laughing with his uncle. Steve has been with them for a month and is just now finally easing up, finally letting them both in—for the big and small. Noticing Steve get frustrated with all the holes in his clothes was the least Eddie could do for him, and if it warms him from the inside out when Steve excitedly rustles through his pile of clothes and realizes they’re all perfectly wearable, well. That was just a plus.

-Eddie compliments Steve on his personality and who he is more than what he does, because especially in the first couple years after Vecna, while both of their bodies are still healing, Steve feels a lot of guilt about not being able to do all the things he used to be able to do to the same degree. Even once he’s healed and starts being able to be physical like he used to, Eddie knows Steve equates his value with his service, and tries to help him realize that he is so much more.

[shyjusticewarrior]

Jason: My love language is acts of service.

Tim: So is that your entire argument for why I should break you out of prison again or?

[angelsheartts]

𝜗𝜚 LOVE LANGUAGE ! ~

#pairing : venti, albedo, kaeya, diluc, aether, bennett, razor, mika, x gn reader.

#cw : none, it’s pure fluff.

#note: this is my first time posting on tumblr, if there are any grammatical mistakes my bad 'cause english isn’t my first language so yeah. If someone is interested my requests are open!!

࿔ ˚. VENTI .

words of affirmation are definitely his love language!! he would sing songs to you, especially if he's drunk at Angel's Share, making you leave the tavern from embarrassment and making him follow you like a puppy. he would also braid your hair by putting flowers in it while reciting the love poems he wrote about you.

࿔ ˚. ALBEDO .

giving gifts is his love language; he would probably, no, he has a sketchbook full of sketches of you, and he will definitely gift them to you, his beloved s/o! it‘s an easy way to show you his affection when his words aren’t enought to express his feelings.

࿔ ˚. KAEYA .

physical touch; he would love to show you off in a nonverbal form, such as holding your waist or teasing you with his cold hands. this guy would be extra cuddly if you started stroking his hair or if you burried your face into his chest while cuddling.

࿔ ˚. DILUC .

physical touch would be his love language. i think he’s a little shy about his feelings and he would probably get teased because of that (specially from kaeya), so he has other ways to show you his affection by being a gentleman !! he would press kisses along your knuckles; he would also surprise you with flowers and brush your hair behind your ear before he starts kissing every single part of your face.

࿔ ˚. AETHER .

words of affirmation. we all know he’s quite popular so there will be times where you are going to be jealous but i can assure you he would never do anything like that! he loves you too much and will always tell you such sweet things when you both are on an adventure or when you’re braiding his hair. he will also talk to you about how much he wants you to meet his sister. that’s literally all the evidence you need to know that he’s head over heels for you!!

࿔ ˚. BENNETT .

quality time is his love language; he appreciates that you still go with him on adventures, even though of his bad luck. adventures with him always end up 'bad' in the way that it’s not the way he planned it, but you just laugh, telling him that it was one of the best, most memorable, and amazing adventures you had!!

࿔ ˚. RAZOR .

physical touch or acts of service, i’m 100% sure about that, he literally lives with wolves, so he would nuzzle your nose, would hunt things for you just so you give him a head pat, and at first he would lick your face, making you go red like a tomato, so you started telling him to give you kisses instead of just licking your face lmao.

࿔ ˚. MIKA .

mika's love languague would be quality time; he loves spending time with you, and he loves when you both cuddle, but he’s just too shy to make the first move! he loves your presence, and by wanting to spend time with him, it makes his heart all flustered. At the end of your hangouts, though, he would be the one to give you a kiss or hold your hand.

[wickedwitchofthesouth]

Deans love language being acts of service will never not make me cry and sob and go into a pit of despair because OF COURSE DEAN LOVES MAKING SURE THE PEOPLE HE LOVES ARE SAFE AND TAKEN CARE OF OF COURSE HE LOVES DOING THINGS FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT BEING ASKED TOO UGHHHHHHHWHWHAIQJKQ he never had anyone taking care of him as a child so of course he makes sure no one else ever feels like they're alone in a crowded room.

He loves giving, but he never expects anything in return. So imagine his surprise when in walks this angel, ever powerful soldier of the Lord who betrays HEAVEN AND GOD HIMSELF all to serve Dean instead. Because he thinks Dean is worth fighting for. Because he thinks Dean is worth loving.

[lucidloving]

Jean Little, "Oranges" // Vincent van Gogh, Still Life with Basket and Six Oranges // @bicarus // Youqing Wang, A Peeled Orange // Enrique Serra Auqué, The Orange Seller // Nina Lacour, "We Are Okay" // Golden Girl— Frank Ocean // Christopher Citro and @sunlightafterdark on Instagram // Wendy Cope, "The Orange"

[vroomvroomwee]

The way the crew handled Izzy in the fourth episode is EXACTLY how you handle a person whose love language is acts of service.

Not just the fact that they didn't crowd him, or barge into his room, or initiate physical touch, hugs, etc., or wait for his reaction when personally giving him his leg. No, they gave him his space and privacy so he can cope with his feelings in his own safety and with his own pace. But most importantly, they knew exactly how to say thank you.

Sometimes, when someone does something for us, we have the urge to do something similar in return, and for people whose love language is acts of service that can sometimes feel as bargaining if not communicated properly. Or if our acts aren't reciprocated at all or if we don't even get a thank you in return, it can make us feel exploited and like pushovers. So the crew giving him a leg is the absolute most perfect thing they could have done for him. It's not a random gift that would say "there, now we're even", it's something he NEEDS, which moreso relays the message "we're here for you, just like you were here for us."

[starrygetou]

nanami, the man you are 🛐💞🥹

I’m just gonna blab some things I think nanami would do in bed bc the brain rot is bad bad. plus my day was shitty and i can’t stop thinking abt how he would handle this situation.

======

thinking about nanami being your boyfriend. and you have a lot going on at home with your family and work, but he’s always there to lend a hand without asking. he drops off homemade meals on your nights you work late, he drops off lunch if he gets the inkling that you haven’t been doing too hot lately and aren’t getting all the right nutrients. he comes to your apartment at 3am to comfort you when you’re finally able to talk to him about how you’ve been feeling and all your stresses, telling you it’s only temporary and everything is gonna be okay.

he loves to help you clean. no task is too small for him. you could tell him to scrub the bathroom floor with a toothbrush bc you don’t like mops and he’d research the best brand of toothbrush that could withstand a task. he’ll overhear how you’re not looking forward to a task and he’ll do it when you’re not looking, just to ease your stress. he’ll take your garbage out for you without asking, he’ll clean your dishes even though he promised he’d let you clean the dishes after he made dinner tonight (you still don’t know why you believe him after all these years).

and when your parents are being shitty to you, not giving you the recognition you need, he’s there. your favorite desert in hand, balloons, a nice bath with your favorite bath bomb and drink, all ready for you without a single word being said.

that is then man kento nanami is.