#and i kind of adore that idea actually

[strawberrryangel]

in trans/ftm dean headcanons, do you think dean didn’t want j*hn to call him dean at first? like he would prefer j*hn deadname him than ruin his chosen name with the familiar burn of anger yk. so only sammy and bobby would call him dean at first and they just kinda kept it between them for a while.

[longagoitwastuesday]

Kusakabe, dear, you're too beautiful to be saying that kind of stuff

[cuteniaarts]

2 hour rough drawing of Ehuang, my precious Green Opal child who I don’t draw nearly enough <3

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Current Top Ten 2NE1 Songs

Okay, I mentioned "Gotta Be You" a little while ago, and I've been streaming 2NE1's discography nonstop since then. So now I have to impulse-write this one, because I forgot how much I love their music and I absolutely must screech about it!! I think EXID is my favorite second-gen group, actually, but 2NE1 is a very close second--they have the kind of star power that I'm completely in awe of. I got into 2NE1 in 2020, via Angelina from ktube, so I've never experienced a comeback from them (though let's just say Park Bom's "Do Re Mi Fa Sol" took over my life for a good while when it came out), but I've still made so many memories with their music over the past four years & have plenty to say about it!

1. Gotta Be You

One of those perfect pop songs--it's almost four minutes long (cue the cheering from fifth-gen stans!!), and each moment feels perfectly engineered to be a dopamine rush all on its own. It's bright and full of life, and even after four years of being a mainstay on my playlists, I still find myself obsessing over this one.

2. Fire

This could easily be my favorite debut ever, though I'd hate to overlook Lucy's "Flowering" like that! The 2NE1 ladies are SO commanding in this song, and it's crammed full of hooks that have stood the test of time. Even with its quilted-together approach to song structure, "Fire" is pretty much infinitely danceable & never feels jarring. It's a similar style of campy dance-pop to 4Minute's debut with "Hot Issue" (which I also love), but "Fire" is constructed so much more carefully--it has an incessant energy that "Hot Issue" doesn't, and it shows off 2NE1's capabilities so impressively!

3. Lonely

This is definitely the most obvious pick here--of course "Lonely" is in the top three. For newbies: before Blackpink's "Stay", there was 2NE1's "Lonely". This one is such an easy listen, a comforting ballad that never tests your patience. Its hook isn't a big final chorus that you have to wait for, it's the steady presence of the chorus throughout the song that's so simple, yet so satisfying. Though this may not be what you expect from a hit 2NE1 song, it's iconic in its own way.

4. Come Back Home - Unplugged Ver.

If you've ever heard me talk about Blackpink's "Whistle - Acoustic Ver", this should come as no surprise! These two songs occupy similar spaces in my mind. I love that we got this unplugged version, without the beat drop, because it really gives the sadness and longing of "Come Back Home" room to breathe. And the 2NE1 ladies really take advantage of that, too--their line deliveries are crammed with interesting details that really make this track special. Also, CL's rap over acoustic guitar is such a highlight.

5. It Hurts (I usually listen to the Japanese version!)

Yes, this is the third ballad in a row, sorry! This one took me a while to get, but now I'm wailing "YOU'RE NOT MINE ANYMORE !!!!!" right along with them. This whole song is one really slow build, so it took me a while to find the patience for it--but the payoff, with those big emotive high notes, is so worth it.

6. Scream

You really have to look past the second-gen cringe for this one, but I'm more than willing, because "Scream" has quite a bit of depth to it behind that grating post-chorus. This is the best use of Park Bom's vocals like, ever, I think--she sets the chorus on fire. And that bridge is heavenly; after CL's first "I fell in love", my heart melts.

7. Don't Cry (Park Bom solo)

This song saved a friendship for me once, funny enough. I know not everyone loves Park Bom's voice as much as I do--she doesn't have the range of abilities that a lot of other vocalists do, so I get it--but I find her performance here, paired with that fuzzy early-2010's production, just so wonderfully soothing.

8. Ugly

A once-in-a-generation kind of chorus, and 2NE1 have the vocals to back it up.

9. Falling in Love

Yeah, sue me, "Falling in Love" is in the top ten. This is trash, sure, but it's exactly my kind of trash. For being as annoying as it is, this song has some legitimately gorgeous vocal sections, too (what is this, an NCT song?). Like, Minzy's voice in the verses? Oh my god. And CL's first-verse rap may well be 2NE1's best--it's fast-paced but sooo catchy, it flows easily but has quite a bit of kick to it. In conclusion, I can see how people think this is an absolute abomination, but I've never had a bad time listening to it--and I listen to it a lot, believe it or not!

10. Please Don't Go (CL & Minzy)

After I heard the chorus once, I knew I'd never be able to stay away from this song. Be warned: the second-gen cringe is strong here, so this won't be for everyone, but CL & Minzy really perform the hell out of it--they bring "Please Don't Go" some clarity, and it ends up a really addictive pop anthem! And that final chorus, when the vocals (the HARMONIES!!!) get to take center stage?? This song is a gem, truly.

Honorable Mentions: You & I (Park Bom solo), Hate You, Missing You, I am the best (obligatory), I Love You, Hello Bitches (CL solo), Spring (Park Bom & Dara), Lovely (Minzy solo) (there's also a Tagalog version of this one, which is so cool!)

[tunastime]

Behold, Beholding, Beheld

to the person who said "[no place for strangers] is even more relevant because of secret life" this is for you. I literally cannot get bigb's ep. 1 out of my head :3

(1285 words)

They're standing in the open, where anyone could be watching them.

Well, not like it matters. Anyone could be watching. Watching could be done at any point. That's the whole point of Watching—but BigB means players, and, of them, he doesn't really care who sees. He folds his arms over his chest. Grian is standing a few feet away, with his back turned. He's working at the crafting table, here, out in the open, instead of at home, if he even has a place to call home. Maybe it's more things for the dump chest. Stone tools or leftover iron armor—things are becoming obsolete now that they could easily be gifted enough for something made of netherite. 

BigB watches his shoulders, sharp, pulled forward and up to his ears. His feathers bristle as he seems to notice BigB's eyes on him. BigB feels the hair on the back of his neck stand up, a tingling sensation, like something had fallen asleep, stretching from the tips of his fingers to his elbows. He feels his spine straighten on its own accord, heels digging into the soft grass below him. It feels like he's looking into a great eye and refusing to blink. It’s kind of weird.

He really doesn’t get this anywhere else, does he? Isn’t that refreshing. 

BigB clears his throat.

"Grian," he says, in a voice unwavering and firm despite the roll of his stomach. "Let's talk."

He says let's talk so there's no room for argument, which is what Grian is good at, so there's no space to refute and say something like:

"I can't right now," Grian says, like he's got his tongue between his teeth. He sounds a touch frustrated, but not with BigB. He doubts that he really could be truly frustrated with him. "I'm busy."

BigB folds his arms, tilting his head a little to the side. The pitch of his voice doesn't change.

"It wasn't really a question," he says, sounding almost bored. "But okay."

Almost immediately, the prickling feeling fades. He watches Grian’s feathers rise, fluff, just a fraction, in a way he fought not to envy. The air around them stills to a stifling degree, like the sound were being snuffed like a candle. Like some heavy glass dome had been settled over just the two of them. Grian straightens, setting down his things, the motions quick and smooth as BigB folds his arms.

"Alright..." Grian says with a resigned sigh. He turns around, moving to sit on the table behind him. His expression softens a bit as BigB looks him over. "Shoot, what is it?"

BigB nods. He gets it. There’s something here, in this space that they’re standing in, that feels equal parts right and dreadfully wrong. He takes a long breath in, staring briefly at his sneakers. Grian’s posture sinks a bit, a bit more natural, a bit less accusatory. He tilts his head, almost curious. BigB rolls his shoulders back.

"Earlier when we talked, the other day,” he starts. “After you interrogated me for no reason—"

Grian startles, leaning forward, fast and sharp, frowning.

"Aye—it was not for no reason,” he tries. “I had perfectly good reason—"

BigB continues despite Grian’s outburst.

"—you said they. They might suspect." He tilts his head, too, narrowing his eyes just a bit. He tries to read a little further, despite his best efforts not to. He can’t help it. The tingle of sensation, of being looked at, runs over his arms and down the back of his neck. Grian’s already doing it, why shouldn’t he? “What did you mean by that?"

There’s a stretch of silence between them. True silence. False silence is when BigB could hear the wind, like a moment before, over the rock of the hooded Secret Keeper, the way it almost sung, barely, under a breath not exhaled. It was crickets right at the dusk that shadowed the shrine, or the cicadas in the light of day, cows and chickens and sheep in the distance. Or it was the river behind them, or the breeze in the trees, or laughter, far away, loud enough to carry. But no speaking. That was false silence. This was true. One that BigB took careful watch over. How each sound faded out to nothing. Not even his heartbeat.

"I didn't mean anything by it,” Grian says, like the words are heavy in his mouth. His expression hasn’t changed. Except for the smallest light in his eye. A twinge in his voice. None of it good. BigB frowns, something that feels wrong on his face.

"Grian—" he says.

Grian's eyes flick to the shrine. Quick. Insistent. Back to BigB. BigB sees the bob of his throat when he swallows.

"I didn't mean anything by it," he says again, short and sharp.

BigB feels that rush again, seeing-not-seeing. He doesn’t know what it is, really. What feels so right and so wrong about it. But there’s something in the back of Grian’s voice that he does know. It’s almost fear. He knows Grian hates not knowing. It’s his whole shtick. Aside from the hunting people down part. He likes the thrill, and he likes to know every little detail, and he likes to run a game. And he’s only doing one of those things right now.

BigB shrugs.

"Fine, fine. Whatever. Don't tell me."

Grian rolls his eyes. Maybe he thinks that there’s something BigB doesn’t understand. He would be wrong, of course, but Grian doesn’t know that. He’s content with thinking he always has all the cards. So Grian asks him:

"So what were you on about back then?" with a heavy sigh, a twist of his mouth into a frown. BigB blinks. The feeling that curls up and invades his chest is sticky and cold and not pleasant to swallow. He furrows his eyebrows.

"Hm?" he asks. Genuine.

"You were being all...wishy-washy and gaslight-y and odd. In that same conversation we were having. What was that?” Grian leans forward. He’s not looking. He’s asking. His voice is sincere and concerned and BigB suddenly feels very cold, very quickly. It stretches from arm, to wrist, to hand, over his fingers. He balls his fists and lets them go. “Who were you trying to throw off?"

"What? Nobody,” BigB says, suddenly hearing all of the noise again. His heartbeat. The cicadas. The wind. The sky is still purple-blue, faded where it touches the statue. He can hear the grass swaying. He can hear the way Grian’s wings shuffle. “Nothing. It was nothing. Don't worry about it."

"B..." Grian tries, standing up. BigB backs up, digs his heels into the earth again.

"Quit! Don't,” he says, the breath caught in his chest. “It wasn't anything, okay?"

"Okay!” Grian blinks. “Okay..."

The air settles after that. It feels a bit easier for BigB to breathe, then, sighing out as Grian shivers and his feathers flutter and settle. 

It’s not Grian’s job to know everything. It’s not Grian’s job to oversee, and to look, and to find every nook and cranny in a game he made to be perfect. His job was to play. To experience. To feed on it. It was BigB’s job to make sure things went well. Not for Grian. For him. It was always his job to watch. And he was planning on doing the best he could with the time he had. Whatever he had to do, he would.

Grian shrugs after a second, turning away from him, already bored as sensation and silence leave them, and as they both stand without any answer or step forward. BigB turns away from him, frowning.

If only he could find where Pearl had run off to.

[kathrynmjaneway]

.

[perilegs]

ok i might need to force myself to not romance astarion bc i don't want to know what it says about me to turn down karlach, the woman of my dreams, the character made to cater me personally, like, if she was real i'd bring the moon and stars down for the chance to see her smile, she's everything i've hoped for in a rpg companion, what does it say about me if i turn that down for someone like astarion

[ohitslen]

What if I draw happy Vashwood for a change, any ideas?

[nerosdayinanime]

Please post more about giyu just dating everyone

i should...... gonna start right now cuz ive actually thought about mitsugiyu for the GiyuusFuckingSad au- when hes still moping around in the cafeteria corner she pops over because she saw shinobu, shinobu stops her excited rambling and explains that its Quiet Time and shes like 'oh! okay! i can be quiet!' and she just hangs around to doodle in her sketchbook across from them. giyuu once again baffled by another random girl deciding she wants to hang out near(with?) him when hes literally never said a word in response.

she sees him in the halls and tries to talk with him, he responds minimally but shes encouraged by any response at all and talks to him outside the cafeteria any chance she gets- giyuu's incredibly confused as to why she likes talking to him so much, but one time when he realizes he missed the turn to his class about three halls ago finally notices how much he enjoys listening to her stories (he ended up just walking her to class to hear the end of the story, he was a few minutes late when he got back to his own)

when shinobu starts inviting him to little outings with her friends mitsuri's the first to welcome him, kyojuro and suma quickly follow and hes. very overwhelmed. why did he get introduced to the loudest ones of the friend group first?? contrary to what he thought would happen though, they actually love him and despite how hype the three of them get (and how not hype he usually is) he doesn't ever feel left out or pushed to the side (physically speaking too- suma frequently hangs off him since hes the most stable one around now and mitsuri & kyojuro aren't hesitant to pull him in to make him focus on whatever they're talking about. he likes how free they are with affection towards him like that)

months later he's acquainted with and knows the whole group and they're all out at a restaurant chatting and having fun- giyuu notices how entranced everyone else is at kyojuro's retelling of a story and he can't help but think how much sabito would like them all... mitsuri stops paying attention to kyo and turns to him, "Giyuu? Are you okay?" "Yeah, why?" "You're crying"

the grief finally hits, the tears get heavier despite his attempts at drying them before he starts to panic and excuses himself- he practically runs out and mitsuri worriedly glances back at everyone before excusing herself and running after him. she follows him to the side of the restaurant in the little alley where hes having his breakdown and hugs him- he buries his face in her shoulder and holds back shaking like a leaf for a while before the worst of it passes. she asks what happened, "I-i just- he'd like you all.. he would've loved to meet you.." she knows who hes talking about- well.. she knows he was extremely important to giyuu, and that something happened and he's not around anymore, and that its extremely painful for giyuu to talk about so he just doesn't. she says shes honored by his thought and goes on to try to calm him down/cheer him up, his face looks a mess from the splotchy flush and eye liner- it got smudged to hell and back and hes a little embarrassed by it. only for a moment tho because mitsuri immediately offers to fix it for him. when they're finally ready to go back in they notice obanai standing at the entrance of the alleyway, blocking the view from outsiders. "aw! you're so thoughtful obanai!" "You two good to head back inside now?" "how long were you standing there?" "long enough, you worried everyone running off like that" "sorry.." "don't apologize, idiot. c'mon, lets go eat" and they followed an excited mitsuri back to the rest of the group.

after that mitsuri started inviting him to her apartment to practice makeup art on him since she knew he was okay with it. he was good at sitting still and he liked how gently she touched and moved his face however while she worked, quiet and serene with her music playing from the room over- the first thing she tried out was a simple little water-esque mark on his left cheek. when he was finally allowed to look at it he remembered the time when they were kids and sabito backhanded him there for saying he wished he had died with his sister. remembered how badly he wished he could have gone with sabito too. remembered his final words, 'promise me you'll love again'

he looks back up at mitsuri with a little smile, maybe that promise isn't as impossible for me to keep as i thought. "i like it" "oooh! i just had another idea! what if i made it look like a stream of water coming out the corners of your mouth!?"

[offantasiesandreams]

How about a batter with just the. ITTIEST bittiest little puppeteer. Short and stupidly sweet. Is that okay? :)

That's more than okay! :D I'm not particularly tall either, but I'm the angry kind, so I mixed both a bit together so everyone gets a piece of short reader and Batter!

Batter with a Short Reader

While he may have never known about it before he met you, Batter has a major thing for size difference, he realises as soon as he sees you. The way you have to crane your neck to look him in the eyes, while still smiling, is the most adorable thing he’s ever seen in his life. If he could, he would have picked you up. While he wouldn’t know what to do if he did so, he would still feel somewhat satisfied having accomplished that.

Might actually give in once or twice and pick you up. It’s awkward, but you going “oof” or anything of the sort in a joking manner while being picked up will have him shutting down for a millisecond on the inside. He wants, no, needs to protect you at any cost. Thus, on the one hand, he wants to get his mission over with more quickly so he can impress you, but on the other hand, the smallest twinge tells him to take his time so he can spend more time with you as well.

If something is out of your reach due to your height and you’re trying to get it, he’ll just get it for you. If such is the reason why you knock it out of his hands, then he’ll either get you something to step on next time. Or he’ll pick you up, the choice is really yours.

Will mention your height to you in a way that might seem upsetting (“My Player, will you allow me to achieve this? It seems to require a certain reach.”) He doesn’t mean it that way, he’s just socially inept and wants the best for you. It really means “Please let me do this, you’re gonna get hurt on accident and break my heart in the process.” in Batter, but he has yet to learn how to word some things better. Call him out on it in any manner and he’ll reconsider his words and apologise immediately.

Though, the upside of him being stupidly tall is the fact that he can easily pick you up. While he may not be the warmest to cuddle up to, it's still nice to snuggle Batter. And with him being 2 meters, or 6’6, he can just wrap himself around you, protecting you fully. He’s also strong enough to give you rides on his back if you get tired.

If you ever feel like giving him a kiss, ask him to lean down, he’ll do so eventually after he gets over the initial shock of someone he holds in such high regards wanting to show him affection.

[longagoitwastuesday]

I finally reached Utahime! I didn't expect her voice to sound like that. She's so pretty *sigh*

[sysig]

Some more Just Desserts pets, and thinking about Candy Mers again (Patreon)

Also ft. the pigeon study I did, what a cute bird!

[moonfromearth]

- How's my hair? I need to look good when we're on the news.

Day 3 - The Bad Girl

"Flirtatious, sexy, and catty to a fault. Usually stuck up. They mean well, but ultimately cares only for themselves."

from @windbrook's Slashed Challenge.

[elegyofthemoon]

Also Lightning just for funsies

AHHHHHHHH FF13 WAHOO

blank character bingo

So I'll say this first: I'm not the biggest Lightning fan. Lightning is objectively well written and I love her sm but she doesn't sit in my brain as often as say, Hope or Vanille in the series. Maybe even Noel actually asdklfjadshl idk

But I love her nonetheless, not as much as she loves her sister. The whole series of FF13 is centered around Lightning saving her sister over and over again. FF13-2 is where Serah is saving Lightning and sacrifices herself doing so, and that guilt hits Lightning severely over in Lightning Returns.

But this guilt has also just been something she's dealt with growing up.

After losing her parents at such a young age, Lightning had no choice but to force herself to grow up for Serah and her sake. Serah relied on her so Lightning had to make ends meet, but this came at sacrificing her time with Serah.

In the first game, Serah and Lightning's relationship is...albeit distant. The way siblings can be awkward with one another over time, but the love is still present all the same. Serah always cooks for Lightning when she comes back home, and Lightning is fighting as a soldier for Serah. Love is present, even if not spoken.

And that's just the sister dynamic between the two. Lightning and fighting. The reason why Lightning had named herself "Lightning" and even has 2/3 of her main roles within the battle system (a whole can of worms that I shouldn't open ALKDJFH) is all offense roles. "Lightning: it burns bright and fades away. It can never protect, only destroys." The girl took out the grief of losing her parents on fighting. Fighting was her coping mechanism because her job as a soldier is what allowed her to push herself forward. But it wasn't until she started reflecting further on this with Hope's situation in which Hope was ALSO READY TO START FIGHTING as a means to sustain himself that Lightning realizes that this is wrong. That that's no way to cope.

But of course, it really takes Lightning till the end of the series to really understand that. She buried that grief so deep in herself and locked people out because she was so focused on just trying to press on and you know, fight.

She's a really interesting character, and I love her a lot. She might not be a blorbo in the way that she doesn't sit in my head so often, but my GOD if I have to read another "Lightning is just Cloud 2.0", I'm going to start beating people with a hammer :D

[sieglinde-freud]

think this is the first time ever i have been disappointed to see an awakening banner

[missingexaltation]

Yet another steddie ficlet:

Steve and Eddie move into their first home, but it's a real fixer upper. They were originally looking at apartments, but this house is such a good deal, even considering the updates it needs. The yard out back is huge, if overgrown, but the interior needs scrapping from the bare bones.

The main area they get done first is their bedroom, but it takes forever on their tiny joint income, and it frustrates the hell out of Steve. It becomes a hideaway from the state of the rest of the house, and Steve finds himself venturing out of those four walls only if he needs to.

The other issue is time. Eddie's working two jobs (well, full time hours at Thatcher's and another part time at his annoyingly unpaid tattoo internship), and Steve's working part time whilst juggling his community college studies.

They have most weekends together, but they both quickly realise how catty and bitchy they both get when things don't go as planned, and instead decide to spend at least half their time snuggled up in bed watching movies. If the home improvements take longer, that's fine, as long as their relationship is intact at the end.

Steve knows he's the problem. He's a rich boy unused to living in anything but mild luxury. Visiting the old Munson trailer had been fine, as he'd been able to go home to the comfort of his parents' place. But there was no escape now they'd essentially disowned him, and he's now trapped in a kind of living that he's never really had to experience before.

Eddie, on the other hand, was fine. A little gloomy and frozen at times, but he was a natural born survivor. He'd spent a week or so living on the streets as a kid, he'd confessed one night. He'd run away from his dad, terrified out of his mind but Wayne had tracked him down, found him and brought him to his own home instead.

And any home, no matter how creaky and in desperate need of repair, was better than that.

Eventually though, Steve had had enough. He gets to the end of his first year and decides to go out of state to visit Robin for a couple of weeks, to help her settle in her new apartment. Eddie's invited too, but he declines as he has to work. There's a gentle glint in his eyes that suggests that he knows Steve's at breaking point, and needs to vent it out, without him there to bear the brunt of it.

So off Steve goes. And he does vent at Robin, who's sympathetic and comforting in all the right places. Eddie was right, he needed to get away from the situation and get some perspective.

Two weeks turns into three, which turns into four, and Steve starts to miss Eddie terribly. The phone calls home were fine to start with, but they're just not enough anymore, and Steve's far more miserable being away from Eddie than he is at living in 'that house'. So he packs his things up and returns home, refreshed and ready to get to work, if a little late.

He pulls into the driveway early in the morning, and immediately notices that the door's been replaced, and the outside of the house has been repainted. It looks good. His key doesn't work, but Eddie's home so it doesn't matter. He's taken the day off so they could spend it together, which is sweet, and also helpful as they've had nothing but (awkwardly quiet) phone sex for about a month.

Eddie opens the door a few seconds later and practically flings himself into Steve's arms, half tackle, half cuddle. Any lingering concern about coming home evaporates instantly, and Steve internally scolds himself for taking so long. He adores Robin, he really does, but his heart is here with Eddie.

Before he can get into a spiral of self annoyance, Eddie's spinning him around and covering his eyes, walking him through the door. Once inside, he tells Steve not to look and moves his hands away, stepping further into the house.

It's only when Eddie says 'ok baby', that Steve opens his eyes to find the biggest fucking transformation he's ever seen.

He's standing in the dining room, but he doesn't recognize it without all of that nasty, peeling, puke-coloured wallpaper. It's been removed and replaced with freshly painted walls and what looks like brand new sockets and an actual, real, functioning table and matching chairs.

The kitchen behind it is similarly beautifully restored. What before had been a shitty, vaguely standing sink, piles of dismantled cupboards and stripped back walls, was now tiled to perfection, with brand new storage space and glorious, gleaming countertops. It looked brighter, bigger and infinitely cleaner, somewhere Steve could actually see himself cooking.

The living room to his left is now open plan, like he'd wanted, with an archway where the old door had been. The musty, deteriorating old cupboards had been completely removed, and instead their shared music collection now sat proudly on brand new shelves, out in the open. And, like the other rooms, it had been painted lighter, which suited Steve down to the ground.

Their photographs were hung up too, dotted around various walls and staring at Steve as he stood in the centre of the room. The kids, Wayne and Eddie, Steve and Robin, Eddie's band and nerd club, and loads of Steve and Eddie and the rest of their friends and family. It's their life, and it's been here waiting for him to come home.

Steve becomes aware that he's gaping, silent in shock, while Eddie's bouncing with anticipation behind him. The floors are all done too, he notices. The gorgeous, hardwood floors they'd cooed over (well over their budget) were here, covered by the rugs Steve had pointed out months ago.

He turns to look at his boyfriend, who is looking way more fidgety and nervous by the second.

"You did all this?" He asks, and Eddie nods eagerly, before tilting his head and correcting himself with a shrug.

"Yeah, well not all of it." he says, excitedly jabbering at a hundred miles an hour, "I asked Wayne to give me a hand, and he knows a builder who knows all sorts of guys, and they all pitched in. They taught me a lot, so I have kinda done a lot, but they did loads too, they really helped get the awkward, technical things done that I didn't have a clue about. Even Dustin came by, not that he was any fucking practical use, but..."

And Steve's kissing him silent.

"You did this for me?" He asks, still shellshocked. "I know I've been awful babe, but -"

"Nah, in all honestly I've had a blast." Eddie admits, "the old guys have been showing me all sorts of practical stuff. Shit, I cut, built and fitted the countertops by myself, and I actually enjoyed doing it. I missed you like hell though."

"You liked doing this." Steve repeats, dazed, "Four weeks, and you've got so much done. Is there anything left to do?"

"Yeah, there's the guest bedroom, the yard and furnishing the living room." Eddie admits, "We can't afford to get the couches yet, hell most of this stuff is actually donated from Wayne's guys, just painted and updated. They're paragons of charity, baby, and we're their lucky recipients."

There's a familiar video camera on the side, and Eddie gestures at it before picking up the photo album beside it. 'I know I said Henderson was useless, but he's been documenting it for us." he says, "I even got the rest of the gremlins in on the painting, figured they couldn't fuck that up."

He hands the album over, and Steve opens it to find dozens of photographs and polaroids inside, showing various people (some Steve knows, some he doesn't) helping and teaching Eddie how to fix up the house. Each photograph is partnered with a sentence underneath in Eddie's best handwriting, detailing what's going on and who's involved.

"Wayne and Danny did most of the floors when I was at work." Eddie says, finding himself rambling as he taps a couple of the early pictures. "But I helped when I got back. I did the kitchen tiling all by myself though," he adds, grinning as Steve turns the page to reveal a beaming Eddie posing next to the splashback. "Tony says I'm a natural!"

Steve reads the sentence underneath and snorts.

Stevie's awkward-as-fuck tiles, masterfully installed by his abandoned boyfriend, Summer 1987.

Steve flicks through more pages, seeing evidence of (a supervised) Eddie using power tools, assembling furniture, and covered in both paint and sawdust at various times. (And an entire double page spread dedicated to him making coffee, because Henderson was indeed a little shit.)

Steve slams the album shut and tosses it back onto the counter. Eddie jumps slightly at the sudden noise, once again looking nervous as Steve puts his hands on his hips, meaning business.

"Babe," Steve starts, seriously, "if you don't get that ass of yours upstairs right now, I don't know what I'm gonna do." He paused (mostly for dramatic effect, because Eddie has actually increased his penchant for drama).

"This is the most incredible thing anyone's ever done for me, and I'm not gonna let you go until I've thanked you properly."

Eddie grins back at him, and holds his hand out. "I've even put the good sheets on the bed for you." He says, waggling his eyebrows, and finds himself being dragged towards the (sanded, buffed and recarpeted) stairs.

Yes, Steve thinks, as they stumble eagerly to bed at ten in the morning, it was definitely a good idea for Eddie to take the day off.

They were going to need it.