#because i cant help myself

[bleedingoptimism]

As Steve walks into the grocery store he pulls his sunglasses off, only to put them back on again immediately. The lights of the store make the back of his eyes sting. Hungover from a bad headache, not that people here would care why. Whatever, is not like everyone already doesn’t think he’s an asshole. He doesn’t need to perform for anyone anymore.

A guy, singing to himself down one of the aisles peaks his attention, he’s tall and has long black hair and Steve belatedly remembers that he’s Jon’s friend from California.

“Argyle?” he asks, more to himself than to him, but Argyle turns and smiles at him as if they are old friends. He approaches and grabs his shoulder, shaking him a little.

“Oh! Hi Stevie!” 

The confidence and attitude he carries himself with make Steve smile for some reason. It’s like he’s very sure of himself but in a nice way, not in a douchey way, like his high school buddies were. Although hearing someone call him “Stevie” reminds him of Tommy and a very different time and he can’t help but shrink inwards a little, “Oh no please, just Steve,” he says with an apologetic smile, pulling his sunglasses off again and placing them on his head. And because he doesn’t want Argyle to think he’s the douchebag, he explains further, “‘Stevie’ brings back bad memories,”

Argyle leans his head to the side with a pout but then smiles and squeezes Steve’s shoulder, “Dude, it’s fine, we can just make new ones, man! Better ones.”

Steve’s first reaction is to scoff. As if it were that easy… but then he thinks, hell, maybe it is.  Maybe it is and it makes him smile. Argyle is way too outgoing for it to be comfortable for other people, it’s kind of ridiculous. For a second, he wonders if Jonathan found it jarring when he first met him. But Steve finds it refreshing. He shakes his head and smiles,

“So what were you looking for? Maybe I can help?” he offers.

Argyle turns in a circle, letting go of Steve’s shoulder and opening his arms wide, like he’s presenting the store to Steve, “See man, I'm mentally preparing myself for the munchies. I kind of wanted to make a pizza but like sweet? You get me?”

“Like a pie?” Steve chuckles.

“That! Sounds delicious, dude! But I don’t know how to make a pie,” Argyle laments, and Steve has no idea what possesses him to say,

“I do. You want help?” 

Argyle stills his whole body and then shakes it before he starts snapping his fingers rapidly, startling Steve.

“Ok! Ok ok ok ok ok! Are you busy right now, man?”

“Just need to buy my groceries…” Steve says unable to keep the bewilderment off his expression.

“I’ll help you with that, we’ll buy things for the pie and then you invite me over, how’s that my dude?” Argyle says, no preambles, “I have a doobie and a lot of questions about all the shit that went down” he adds moving his eyebrows up and down quickly.

“What about Jon?” Steve can’t help but ask.

“Ah man, Jonny is with Nancy right now. Those two love birds had a lot to talk about, so I figured I’d make myself scarce.” Argyle answers, nodding apprehensively at his own statement.

Steve finds himself nodding along before saying, “Yeah, okay. Let’s do it!”

“Hell yeah, Stevie!” Argyle exclaims throwing his arms up and this time, Steve doesn’t cringe at the nickname.

After that, Argyle follows Steve through the store, helping him put things in the cart, making a few comments about differences in products or prices from California, but mostly staying out of the way and humming to himself. Steve asks him what he wants the pie to be (strawberries and chocolate) so he gets the ingredients for that too and then they are off.

When they get to his place, Steve tells him to get comfortable while he puts stuff away but Argyle helps him out before sitting on a tall stool in the kitchen and watching as Steve gets all the ingredients for the pie laid out.

“You know dude, you’re kind of exactly how I imagined you’d be,” Argyle tells him, gifting him another one of his smiles. 

“Really?” Steve asks surprised.

“Jon told me all about you, man,” he answers nodding. 

Steve raises an eyebrow at that, “And you still want to hang out with me?” he asks, half judgy, half defensive.

“Of course! Because you know what I got from it, dog?” Argyle asks and Steve just stares at him, afraid to know the answer.

“That you are a good person, Stevie! So you got off to a rocky start dude, so what? I think that makes you all the more interesting.”

Steve purses his lips in an attempt not to smile and raises an eyebrow.

“You went to hell and beyond for someone you didn’t even like! You’ve paid your dues and a half for whatever shit you did when you were younger and it could’ve made you bitter or closed off, man! But it didn’t. Not even the tiniest little bit. You barely know me and you invited me over and offered to bake pie for me, dude!” 

Steve chuckles and shakes his head, “You got all that from what Jon told you? Also you invited yourself over,” he jokes. 

Argyle laughs and then just shrugs, choosing to ignore Steve’s question about Jon.

He lets it go, and Argyle lights up the joint while he starts making the pie. After they both get a few hits, Argyle starts asking him about everything. ‘Start from the beginning’ he says.

Steve starts off a little stiff but gets looser with the weed and Argyle's presence and ends up telling him practically everything. Argyle asks a few questions every once in a while, sometimes about the process of making the pie. Sometimes some really intense shit like ‘and how did that make you feel?’, ‘did you think you were going to die?’ ‘were you scared?’.

Steve answers everything honestly, and it feels incredibly cathartic. His favorite questions are the ones about the pie though, and he smiles the biggest when Argyle says next time he’ll make one for him.

In turn, Steve asks him how he met Jon and chuckles when Argyle confirms his thoughts and tells him Jon didn’t like Argyle one bit at first.

“He said I was too happy. He didn’t trust it. Dude couldn’t trust anyone that hadn’t gone through some kind of shit in their lives” Argyle laughs, “But I can thaw even the coldest of hearts, man! As we got to know each other, he realized that I did have my own shit going on, but that happiness was a choice for me. Is who I had chosen to be.”

They talk about that too, how it wasn’t an easy choice. How some days it’s harder than others, to keep at it. How all the Upside Down shit affected him too.

By the time the pie is done and the joint is gone, Steve feels incredibly close to Argyle. Like they’ve been friends forever. 

“So that’s pretty much it,” he says with a sigh after finishing a rant about why he doesn’t keep in touch with his high school buddies because Argyle had asked about them.

“Dude, you’ve been through so much,” he says solemnly.

“Yeah, you know that’s…. Life…” Steve says, shrugging. He doesn't know exactly what to say, suddenly feeling very awkward at being seen.

“Nah, Stevie. Me being kicked out of my house as soon as I was old enough to get a job ‘cause my parents couldn’t afford to keep feeding me and my younger siblings…. That’s life.” Argyle says seriously and quickly dismisses Steve's worried face adding, “It’s ok dude, they were great parents, they raised me well and I still go visit every other weekend” And then sighs and looks sternly at Steve again,

“Like I said, that’s life. What you’ve been through? Was hell”

“The kids had it worse- Ell-” Steve starts but Argyle interrupts him.

“That doesn’t erase what you've been through, Steve. It doesn’t make it less of a nightmare, man.” Steve just looks at Argyle as what he’s saying sinks in. 

“And you got through it, dude. You came out the other side even a better person than when it started and like- you saved lives! You saved my best friend's life and like- like- you should be proud of yourself Stevie. I’m proud of you, man” he finishes with a carefree smile. As if he hadn’t just rocked the ground Steve was standing on. And he doesn't know if it’s the weed, or Argyle’s words, or both but Steve closes the distance between them and hugs him.

“Oh, hey! Hugs! I love hugs!” Argyle laughs, and hugs him back, taking it all in stride.

“Sorry,” Steve sniffles embarrassed, “I didn’t know I needed to hear that till you said it,” he croaks.

“Nah, it’s good. I got you” Argyle responds, patting his back lightly.

The hug is wonderful, friendly, warm, and just the right length but when he’s stepping away from Argyle, he hears a wary sound from the kitchen door.

“Uhm…hi” 

It’s Eddie. Pocker-faced and cautious and Steve knows him well enough to know he’s freaking out inside.

“Oh, hi! Eddie! Good to see you, dude!” Argyle says good naturally and completely out of the loop. Steve smiles at him too and rubs his eyes with the back of his hand to dry them off a bit.

Whatever Eddie was thinking goes out the window when he looks closely at Steve and walks towards him, leaning closer to look him in the eye, “You okay?” he asks concerned.

Steve nods and Argyle clears his throat, “I’m going to… set the table for three,” he says, so maybe, not as out of the loop as Steve first thought.

Eddie completely ignores Argyle and grabs Steve’s face, his thumb caressing the underside of his eye, “You really ok?” he asks again and Steve chuckles,

“Yeah,” he answers with a smile.

Eddie hums and then looks back towards where Argyle is opening and closing cabinets in the dining room, looking for plates, “So… Should I be jealous?” he asks and Steve snorts amused, 

“Of course not,” he says.

“You sure? ‘Cause maybe your type wasn’t curls and big eyes, maybe it was long hair and weed all along,” Eddie presses and Steve can tell he’s trying to make a joke out of it but is actually asking for real and Steve gets frankly, really annoyed.

“You know what? Maybe you should be jealous. Argy would never accuse me like that,” Inwardly he cringes at the nickname but it gets the point across. Eddie’s face falls and he looks devastated and terrified for a second before Steve smirks bitchily at him and then Eddie is frowning.

“Asshole” he murmurs, despite still holding Steve’s face as if it were precious and fragile.

Steve steps closer, placing his hands on Eddie’s waist, “You started it” he says as an apology. Kind of.

Eddie huffs and moves his hands to Steve shoulder’s, one thumb pressed to his pulse, “I regret it” 

Steve hums, “Just for the record? A little possessiveness is kind of hot,” he says and pecks the tip of Eddie’s nose, “You questioning my feelings for you? Is not.” and then flicks it.

“Dully noted,” Eddie nods.

Steve looks him in the eye as he leans closer, kisses him fully in the mouth firmly, eyes open the whole time, and then whispers “Good boy,” before he steps away.

He smirks again seeing the full-body effect his little stunt has on Eddie. The way his eyelids fall, his mouth opens, the goosebumps on his arm hair, and the shiver that runs through his spine. He takes a moment to take it all in before he smiles, less predatory and more friendly. Eddie smiles back, and shakes his head amused, like he can't believe Steve is real. He does that a lot.

Steve then takes Eddie’s hand on his own and kisses his knuckles before moving past him and dragging him to the dining room with him, 

“Now c’mon. Let’s go eat pie with my new friend”

e͟n͟d͟

a coffee? a doobie? ☕🥐💕

[erixyin]

Poison Running Through My Veins | Part 1

Another Eddie Munson x reader fic! I'm sorry it took so long but I had no inspiration for ages and then BOOM all of the sudden and I'm like okay guess I'm writing until midnight.

And I'm introducing my other red flag of a man, Billy Hargrove. Yes. He's alive in this okay and no I don't care about canon right now.

Summary/ Idea: Eddie sees you in school parking lot being very close with your ex. Jealousy and angst ensues.

I swear this was supposed to be a fun little idea and it just ended up turning into this. Whatever this is.

Warnings: Eddie Munson x fem!reader, using she/her pronouns, no mention of Y/N, Billy Hargrove is alive, Steve Harrington being a parent and doing damage control, jealousy, angst, pain, tension, little bit of billy hargrove x reader, violent tempers, Eddie be angry and jealous, reference to a Losing Sight of You, argument, possessive!eddie, highly jealous!eddie, crying, so much fucking angst, lmk if I've forgotten any.

Sorry if any errors, I haven't proofread it yet but when I do, I'll edit it properly.

No minors allowed please and thank you.

Words: 3332

I think that's everything :)

Please do not repost anywhere, I will be posting this on my AO3 and putting link here.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Eddie leaned against the side of his van, arms crossed and body slumped hard against the back door. He was trying his hardest not to stare, really, he was. He fidgeted with his rings. He shoved his hands in his pockets. Then crossed his arms. Looking up at the sky, looking to the rest of the parked cars in the school parking lot. He was trying to not stare.

But every time, his eyes would drag back to the same spot he had been staring at for over 15 minutes. His leg bounced as he crossed his arms again. Fighting the urge to draw attention to himself and smack his fist against the van, he shoved his hand into his back pocket to get a smoke. Cursing as his lighter refused to light. "Fucking come on you stupid piece of crap" he muttered, baring his teeth as he grimaced.

"Munson, you alright?"

He almost jumped out of his skin as Steve tapped his shoulder. Eddie swallowed his scream but mouthed 'Jesus H Christ' as he dropped the cigarette that was in his hand, reaching into his back pocket for another one. Eyes flickering back to their original location before, going back to successfully lighting his cigarette and taking a deep drag.

Steve looking at Eddie's obviously flustered state in pure confusion. "Seriously, what is up with you-" Steve followed Eddie's line of sight and let out a small "ah" before falling silent himself and putting his hands on his hips disapprovingly.

Robin coming up to the side of Steve and gagging at the smell of smoke. Then her eyes almost bulging out of her skull at the parking lot, "Holy shit! When did Billy Hargrove get out of hospital??" Instinctively she looked to Steve for answers, but when she was met with an uncomfortably loud silence, she paused.

"Long enough to be chatting up my girlfriend" Eddie spat, quickly finishing the cigarette he only lit a few minutes ago to then scrummage through his pocket for another. As soon as another one was in his hand, Robin snatched it out of his grip.

"Dude, he's not chatting her up. They just used to date" she shrugged unbothered and threw the cigarette away. Turning back to see Steve staring at her like 'why did you do that' and Eddie looking like he was torn between throwing up and killing a man.

"They used to date?!" he hissed, trying to lower his voice. He was aware that the parking lot was practically empty but still.

Steve massaged his temples, "Yeah before the Star Court Mall situation" Eddie grinded his teeth and raked his hand through his hair, wincing slightly at the pain. "Honestly though dude, you shoulda known. It was big news throughout the whole school, Dustin never told you?"

Eddie paused at that. Maybe Dustin did tell him, but he didn't listen because he didn't pay you any attention until the last year of high school. But he remembered one thing. You had definitely never brought it up. You never even mentioned Billy Hargrove. You just mentioned that you had dated someone else before Eddie and frankly, Eddie was delighted. He knew that whoever your ex had been it wasn't something you talked about much. Eddie took that as you didn't think there wasn't much to talk about. Which meant you didn't have any high expectations when it came to dating him. But you still hadn't ever brought up just who your ex was or how it had ended. And that was what was eating him up inside. Especially since he had to hear it from someone else.

He turned his attention back to you and him chatting. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he was getting so worked up over nothing. You were just chatting to him. Sure you had the brightest smile on your face when you had ran over to him, pausing in mid conversation to see a black car pull over in the school parking lot and a tall figure step out. You still had the same smile on your face when the figure had walked over to you, clearly in pain but pushing through. The same smile on your face when he returned it. The same smile when you looked to the ground as Billy winked at you, and Eddie knew you were blushing.

"Munson, you can't take Billy in a fight so don't even try it" Steve said stealing Eddie's concentration. Eddie knew it was in case you looked back and saw how upset he was. Maybe this was why you had never brought it up. He raised his eyebrow at Steve. "Trust me, I tried." Steve said shuddering as he remembered the fight that seemed like forever ago.

"She never brought him up with me" Eddie admitted. Looking at the sky, blinking quickly, running his hand through his hair again. In the however many months you two had been dating and a year of friendship beforehand, you hadn't brought it up once. Robin and Steve gave each other a look.

"It wasn't an easy relationship" Robin offered. She knew the things you had told her. But equally she couldn't let Eddie suffer like this. "She ended it and they stayed close friends" She bit her lip looking at Steve for help.

"How close?" Eddie growled as he watched you stand on your tip toe and lean into a hug with Billy fucking Hargrove. One of his hands on upper waist, lower back, the other is slightly higher up holding you firm against him and yours around his neck.

Energy and rage rattling around inside him, feeling like he was either gonna explode or faint. So, he channelled his rage and as confidently as he could, held himself tall and started walking over. Robin elbowing Steve to catch his attention and he whipped round and saw Eddie striding towards you two. Steve quickly caught u to him, practically running towards you, and clapped his hand on Eddie's back basically telling him to 'cool the fuck down'.

As they got closer Steve called out to you, "Yo man! When did you get out of hospital?" Hearing this, you quickly separated yourself from Billy. Billy didn't let go of you as quickly and let his hands linger on you for a little longer. Your heart did a weird somersault when you turned and saw Steve and Eddie walking towards you. Seeing Eddie's face, you knew it wasn't good, but you pushed those feelings down. As Billy's hand slid down your back, the small shiver that seeped through you, you know Eddie saw.

"You still fucking here Harrington?" Steve rolled his eyes. "And who are you?" Billy scoffed pulling a cigarette out from behind his ear. You inwardly sighed. You knew Billy was deliberately pissing off Eddie. You knew he knew who Eddie was.

Sending a small look to Billy you jumped in before Eddie could retort, "This is my boyfriend, Eddie Munson. You know the guy I told you about, he has a band" You smiled your brightest smile.

"Yeah Corroded Coffin, we play Metallica covers and original songs" Eddie said puffing out his chest a little. He was nothing compared to Billy, even though Billy had been in hospital for months and not near his workout gear for ages. You tentatively tried to stand near Eddie but doing so you ended up being closer to Billy. Not what you had intended.

Eddie slung his arm around you, heavy and tight and you almost toppled over at the sheer aggression of the action. Confused by Eddie's tough guy pretention, you completely missed the way Billy smirked and raised his eyebrows at Steve. Steve just looked like he wanted to really not be there. You glanced behind you seeing Robin with the rest of the kids. You could see there was a discussion going on but you couldn't obviously hear. You just knew it wasn't good with the way Max was looking at you four.

When you thought the testosterone levels were going to explode, the words ended up falling out of your mouth before you could stop them, "We have a gig on Friday, you could come if you wanted to...?" You hadn't meant it to sound like a question and you're not sure why you asked but you'd done it now.

"We? You in the band too?" Billy asked, curiousity twinkling in his eyes and the grip on your shoulder tightened.

"Yeah, the lead singer and Eddie's the guitarist" Steve said trying to quickly end the conversation. He noticed your wince in pain as Eddie's grip on you continued to tighten. Steve gave Eddie a look, but it appeared that Eddie ignored him.

"You're sleeping with the lead guitarist? You're moving up in the world, my girl" At the pet-name you froze and smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Billy was grinning, knowing full well what an absolute shit he was being. Fucking bastard.

Eddie hadn't said a word, but he didn't have to from the way his entire body tensed.

Oh shit

"Anyways. We gotta be going, rehearsal and all that." Eddie said with a tight smile, pulling you away from Billy. You stumbled backwards slightly at the sudden movement and almost fell.

"It was nice seeing you Billy" you managed to say before being dragged away for good. Steve on the other side of you in case you accidentally fell over again.

"See you around doll" You heard Billy call after you. You saw Max walk past you as he yelled, "Oi shithead! Get in the car!" with less animosity than before the Star Court Mall fire but still not with much warmth either.

It was going to be an interesting drive home...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The car ride home was silent. Not even turning on Metallica or Iron Maiden helped the situation. Eddie had ejected the tape and shoved it into his side door pocket mid-way through the song.

You had opened your mouth to speak but got shut down real quick, "Not now" was all Eddie said. His voice remained levelled and calm, which only scared you more.

It was only when he pulled up outside his trailer did you wish you could return to the silence.

"Billy Hargrove, huh" he started. It was phrased as a statement rather than a question, so you didn't answer. He turned to finally look at you and you could see the wildfire behind his eyes. You had never seen Eddie like this. You swallowed and slowly undid your seatbelt.

"When were you gonna tell me that your last ex-boyfriend was Billy fucking Hargrove? The biggest asshole that ever showed up to Hawkins High." Eddie locked the car doors as you tried to reach for the door handle. Oh no.

You didn't usually have big explosive fights. The last fight you had that was this big was when he had been keeping it a secret that he had been doing drug deals and meeting up with Chrissy Cunningham - when both of you knew full well, that he used to have a crush on her since middle school.

"You never asked" you shrugged your shoulders. You knew that wasn't the answer he was looking for, but it was the most straightforward one. Because it was the truth. He hadn't ever asked or pressed further about your past relationship.

"I had to find out from Steve and that was after you had run off to be all flirty with him"

That made your blood boil, "What is that supposed to mean? I wasn't being flirty, you idiot! I was happy that he was finally out of hospital. I was there at Star Court Mall too ya know!" Huffing you put your head in your hands. Completely shocked that you were even having this conversation right now.

"Oh yeah sure that's what we're calling it." He smacked the side of the driving wheel making you almost jump. Eddie talked with his hands, but he never hit things. You started feeling uneasy and trapped.

You ran your hands down your face and tried to keep yourself calm. You knew Eddie would let you out once he had calmed down a bit. You just had to get him there. "Oh my god what is going on? I love you - you absolute dumbass! I'm with you, I sleep with you, I practically almost live with you considering how much I come round to yours." You voice sounding strangled at the end. "Why are you so worked up about this?"

Looking at him exasperated you could see his eyes still blazing with unquenched fire.

Then it dawned on you.

"Are you jealous?" You looked at him as you waited for a response. When none came and he looked down at the steering wheel biting his lip, you gasped. "You are jealous! Is this what this is all about?" You relaxed into your chair your mind going hazy with both disbelief and shock. "So, cards on the table. You go and sneak off with your middle school crush for weeks on end, during which you avoid me, and I have to find you and confront you about it. But on the other hand, I'm just talking to my ex-boyfriend in a friendly way, and you fly off the handle after not even 20 minutes?!"

You waited for his response. When none came you clicked the air in front of his face annoyed. "Hello? Got nothing to say? What, did you lose your argument when you realised that you got nothing to be angry about?"

When he just looked at you, you just sunk back down into your chair. Arms crossed, annoyed and exasperated that your boyfriend was even angry about this in the first place. Gently rubbing your thumb over the part of your shoulder he had been gripping tightly during your encounter with Billy, you bit the inside of your cheek. You weren't sure what on earth you had to do to prove to Eddie that you weren't going anywhere and that he shouldn't be jealous. But from his expression and the way anger was still flowing through him, you knew your words would fall on deaf ears.

"Let me out of the car Eddie" you said. Feeling claustrophobic in the car with all this anger and negativity swirling around in front of you, you needed to in the fresh air.

"Not until you promise me you won't see him again" Eddie breathed out, staring ahead of him at the trailer door.

You looked at him thinking that he was joking. But the look on his face said that he was definitely not. Still, "you're kidding" you scoffed. He couldn't be serious. Eddie had never been like this with anyone else. He was jealous of Steve, you knew that, especially at the beginning of the relationship. But he had never said that you couldn't see him. This was ridiculous.

"Promise me" Eddie responded in a monotone voice. He still wasn't looking at you.

"Eddie, you're scaring me. Please let me out of the car" you tried again. A tremor of fear ran up your spine and you saw Eddie finally look at you. The fire behind his eyes was gone but the poison that had inflicted him with this jealousy. The poison was still there. His pupil massive, like he was on something. You could see it in the way he stared at you expressionless. Your heart rate quickening.

You've never known Eddie to be scary like this. This kind of possessiveness reminded you of home and the flashback memories started coming to the front of your mind. Your hand fumbled as you tried frantically to jiggle the door handle, but it was still locked.

Eddie grabbed your wrist and pulled you towards him, "Am I your replacement for him? What, we both listen to heavy rock and know about the Upside Down so you think 'yeah I can replace him with another fucking weirdo'? Were you planning on leaving me as soon as he got better?" As you shook your head repeatedly, his grip on your wrist tightened, "Now, promise me" he said each word slowly. Over punctuating each syllable.

"Eddie, please." your voice trembled with fear and pain. Where he was holding you on your wrist was aching and you could see your hand turning blue with lack of blood circulation.

You saw something flash behind his eyes and all of a sudden, his pupils returned back to regular size, and he let go of you. He unlocked the doors and stayed sat inside the car before jumping out and slamming his door shut. You shrunk back at the noise, your body taught with fear and caressing the purple bruise forming around your wrist from how tightly Eddie had been holding you.

You slowly got out of the car, legs wobbling slightly. Closing the door slowly, you leaned against the cool metal of the van. Breathing deeply, you sighed at the fight that had just unfolded. Your head was swimming with thoughts. Why was Eddie so jealous of Billy? Was he this jealous of Steve when he was first introduced to the gang? None of what he said he meant right? You could provide no answers to the questions swirling inside your mind. But you heard footsteps, so you straightened up, ready in case Eddie wanted a round 2.

You felt yourself be pulled into a gentle hug. Your nose breathing in his scent slowly. Still trying to keep your breathing steady so that you didn't start crying. "I'm so sorry for how I was with you then. I just got so angry" Your face buried into his hair so you could barely hear what he was saying over the sound of your mind and your heartbeat. "My dad used to lose his temper like that with me, I guess I lived up to the Munson name." You knew he was trying to apologise and make a joke out of it, but it felt like he was excusing his behaviour to genetics. You made a small 'hmm' noise in response and the hug became slightly tighter

You pulled away first. "I'm gonna go home. I need to be on my own for a bit" you murmured. Refusing to look him in the eye, because you were still terrified, you'd see the poison still there and also because you knew if you looked at him, you would definitely lose all control of your emotions and weep.

"I'll call you?" He offered. You simply nodded. Your vocal cords tired after the short but explosive fight. He'd let you walk to your trailer across the trailer park by yourself. He knew he had overstepped the line and he knew that you needed space. He sighed. "I've really fucked this up" he pinched the bridge of his nose and walk walked into his trailer when you began walking away.

As you made your way passed Max's trailer you stopped to pet one of your neighbours' dogs. The silly good boy wagged his tail and whined, putting his paw up against the fence. "I'm fine, I promise" you managed a small smile when you reached through the fence to scratch his ears. A couple of small tears escaped through the quick blinking of your eyes. You used your other hand to wipe them away, pausing when you saw the bruise on your wrist develop fully.

The doggy whined and sniffed at your hand before licking your fingers softly. "Thanks for making me feel a bit better" you let out a soft laugh at the feeling. "You're a good boy" you said, and the doggy woofed in response, clearly pleased.

"And here's me thinking you'd only call me that"

You turned around too quickly, almost losing your footing, but a large hand caught you by the waist in time. You recognised the voice and the hand simultaneously.

"Hi billy"

================================================

if you liked this please like, comment, follow and reblog for more. This is going to end up being more chapters because I have so many ideas of where I want this to go. Hope you enjoyed!

[bronzeagepizzeria]

Snippet Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @athenasparrow !

This is from a crack!drabble i'm writing for THC; james x lily post hogwarts

"Okay," Lily says, turning on her heel to face him, hands on her hips. "You've got to cut it out." She looks furious, brilliant green eyes blazing as her mouth curls the way it does when she's supremely irritated. It's quite hot, really. "I'm not doing any—" "You asked my sister when we were going to shower the baby, James!" "Well, Muggles need to name their traditions better, then! Baby shower, honestly—what's a bloke meant to think?"

Tagging: open

[helianskies]

chapter xxv: the morality

"Why is it," Abel asked a fair while into their silent session, "that Francis seems to hover around Antonio so much?" To Henrique, it was a stupid question. Perhaps that was the effect of having lived with it—them—for so long. But for Abel, who had not really had much of a chance to learn about Henrique's family (and their questionable life choices), he supposed it… was much less obvious. "Would you like the polite answer?" Henrique therefore proposed. "Or would you like the honest one?"

[ read update on ao3! ] [ always check tags! ]

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Thinking back on the Just Like Heaven movie I watched recently, I think there's a cool angle to go with. So the premise is that there's a woman in a coma who shows up like a ghost in her apartment, which has been rented to another tenant. She and this tenant start off annoying each other, then slowly fall in love trying to get the 'ghost' to wake up in her own body before her family pulls the plug. When she does wake up, because of course she does, she doesn't remember the new tenant at all-- until they kiss a few months later and it all comes rushing back.

So, if we go with the idea of Kara being the one in a coma haunting her apartment, Lena would be the tenant, right? Okay. Which means we need a reason for Lena to rent there instead of just using her money to live somewhere classier.

What if the reason is that she's being targeted by some people and her real home is attacked. So she goes looking for a place to live while repairs take place. She finds Kara's place, and sees how lived in and comfy it is, and she's like yes. This is it. Even though it's tiny, even though it's in the rent controlled side of town, the place is bright and homey, and has its own sort of character to it.

Plus, most importantly... no one would think to look for her there.

Of course, things are rocky at first. Lena ignores Kara because she thinks it's a figment of her imagination. But then they slowly become friends, talking and watching tv on the couch together. Until one night, when Lena is sleeping, intruders break into the apartment. Kara shouts for Lena to wake up, and when she does Lena has to fight for her life.

She succeeds, barely, but in the process the apartment gets trashed. The first thing Lena says as she descends into emotional shock is "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?!" is Kara's response. "Jesus christ Lena, you were attacked in your bed!"

"Your apartment..."

Kara barely looks at the room around her. "I don't care about the fucking apartment. Are you okay?"

It's been so long since someone has asked her that. Tears build in Lena's eyes, and between the ebb of adrenaline and Kara's genuine concern, her facade cracks.

"No." Her confession whispers between them. "I'm not."

And then Kara can only watch Lena as she breaks down and cries, unable to touch her friend or offer any kind of physical comfort. Still, she tries. Her hand passes through Lena's, but the strange resulting warmth that transfers between them at the phantom touch is enough to let Lena know she's not alone.

Not anymore.

[rosyandraw]

Oh man, I love Moby Dick. Like I listen to multiple Moby Dick podcasts. Emma, though, is Never Again for me. If I'm going to read about someone doing their best to ruin their friend's life, I'd rather it be catty cruelty instead of arrogant ignorance, and if I'm gonna be that stressed out by a book I'll just read horror.

You are a better person than me for loving Moby Dick. I wanted to love it so bad, but I guess not all books are for everyone! Maybe one day I'll be in the mood for it haha

OMG THANK YOU, Emma is just awful, like as a character but also just in terms of narration and plot like? I think it's never more obvious than the fact that every adaptation of it is better than the original. Clueless being the obvious one- it works because there is no one looking at Cher thinking she's going to be a good person at the start.

I hate being stressed out by books. I mean yes, you're supposed to have an emotional reaction but I don't read to get stressed and I really hate plots that give me that when it wasn't what I signed up for. You know? It's like false advertising.

I just recently read a book where the warnings at the beginning said it wasn't a love triangle or cheating but XYZ blah blah blah, and then I read it and I was like well wtf because it was actually both of those things? And that's not what I signed up for lmao, the stress is in the advertisement haha

If I wanted to be that annoyed I'd read Colleen Hoover, you know?

What's your ride or die book? The one you've read the most? I love asking people this haha!

[blackkatdraws2]

There are more things in the Parable than Stanley knows about. [Blank Scripts AU]

[wriothesleybear]

Gallagher is a man who loves to please his woman. He loves foreplay and he spends extra time on it. He likes spoiling you and wants to make sure you know how much he loves you. One of his favorite ways he does that is by littering your body with kisses. He usually starts with your legs. If he had to choose his favorite body part of yours, he'd choose your legs. He either has you sit or lay down on the bed so he can take off your shoes first. Once they're off, he plants a soft kiss on the top of your foot, moving up to your ankle and planting one there as well. His warm, strong, calloused hands gently hold your leg as his lips move up it, planting multiple kisses along the way. The feel of both his hands and lips gliding across your skin as he explores your body. His stubble slightly scratching you but it's a nice feeling. Don't even get me started on how good this man eats pussy.

[wriochilde]

a redraw of something from 2020

the original version + the 2022 version

[funeralprocessor]

I really need to socialize with people more. Shame about the horrors though.

[banditsregina]

Hannah Waddingham in 'Not Going Out' part 1

[pinkd3mon]

I just wanted an excuse to draw my Galacta with a cape propaganda

[krasytoonz]

Strawberry Ice Cream Soda-Pop or something like That!

[daftpatience]

one thing I have learned about being poor is that you cannot for a moment stop thinking about it

[puppyeared]

i feel like. theres designing a character with certain themes and motifs in mind, and then theres making a gijinka for the water bottle on my nightstand

[puhpandas]

Happy To Be Your Pillow

(2,370 words)

Gregory, who is too exhausted to walk home from school, is convinced by Tony to take a nap outside the school. He volunteers himself as a pillow.

Its embarrassing to say, and Tony would never admit this to anyone, but it was easy to notice when Greg had started getting really tired.

Tony had noticed around the very beginning, where there wasnt much difference to Gregory's behavior, just the slight bags under his eyelids that weren't there before. He'd come to school acting just fine, not exactly normal (because Gregory is very not normal) but easily himself. He got through the days like always and would never respond with anything concerning when Tony would send him those looks he'd always give him, the ones that can hold entire silent conversations between them.

Its embarrassing, because to admit that he'd noticed would be admitting that he looks at Gregory's eyes enough to see such a small change.

But Tony had, and he'd noticed even quicker when Greg kept coming to school more and more exhausted every day. Eventually, it wasnt just slight pink under his eyes and less hangouts. His eyes started to always be half lidded with drowsiness, and his head would bob up and down as he would struggle to stay awake in his seat during class.

The point is, Gregory has been clearly exhausted all week. It's gotten so bad that Tony cant even ask if Gregory's okay with his eyes anymore; he'll be so faraway and tired that he wont notice.

Tony and Greg always sit with Ellis while he waits for his parents to pick him up. They always sit in this little crevice behind a wall outside the school where someone who drives past could see them, but nobody could from the entrance. Tony likes to call the spot theirs since he's never seen anyone else go there, and they all have their own designated spots where they sit against the wall of the school.

It's where they are right now. Its been another day at school where Greg looks like a zombie. He basically fell asleep standing at his locker today; Tony had to shake him awake and save him from a fate that would be much less kind if the meaner kids had found him first.

Ellis gives his friends a smile from where he's standing up, ready to get in his parents car. Tony and Gregory are sitting against the wall of the school, and Gregory is definitely more slumped than he should be. Tony can see the look Ellis is giving the boy next to him; They're both worried.

"Bye, guys. See you later." Ellis says to them. "Greg."

Gregory snorts, jolting up at hearing his name. He looks awful. The bags under his eyes are large enough to need a check and a deep shade of purple. They make his eyes look sunken in, and the orange-ish gold that Tony is so used to glowing in the sunlight (he doesn't look at Gregory's eyes that much) are duller now. Greg brings up a hand to rub at them, but he still manages a smile for his friend.

"Bye, Ellis." He says, his voice rough. It sounds like he just woke up. "This weekend, kay? Bowling?"

Ellis nods. His parents car honks its horn from behind him. Ellis makes an annoyed noise, and he only spares one last worried look for Greg and a piercing look for Tony.

You better do something about that. It seems to say.

Tony nods at him, slight and small, and Ellis is content enough with that response to finally turn on his heel and leave.

They both know how things can get, sometimes. Tony more than Ellis. He was involved, after all, but even he knows Greg has it worse. It's not a competition, but... Greg has it worse.

It reminds him of when they'd all first gone back to school and it had felt so jarring. Nothing had actually changed, but it had felt like completely different world. Tony had felt like an alien. It had felt like the school had been frozen in time while Tony hadn't. GGY had changed everything and flipped everyones lives on their heads.

GGY still plagues Greg like he never left. Tony's so worried because he knows how Gregory will have nightmares. Violent ones. He's been there for plenty. Theres been multiple nights where Greg would wake up screaming or suffering in silence and Tony would have to hold his hand to let him know he was there. Gregory couldn't stand seeing him in those moments.

As Ellis leaves, Tony wonders why Gregory hasnt said anything. They're usually so good with telling eachother things. Tony's worried about how silent about it all Gregory's being when it's clear something is wrong.

Tony knows what happened the last time something was clearly wrong and Greg didnt say anything about it, but he shoves that thought down as fast as it came.

It's only the obnoxiously loud exhaust on Ellis' parents car that snaps Tony out of it. It makes him jolt, and he spares a second to frown at them. He's never liked Ellis' parents.

Only afterwards does Tony realize that Gregory didnt jump at the sudden sound like he did. Tony sighs a bit through his nose, looking over to see his friends eyes slipping shut and his form slouched over. His head lolls and Tony can see a couple times where Greg really does almost fall asleep.

He can barely stay awake. It makes Tony frown. How much sleep is he losing where any moment of peace (or not) he gets he's almost passing out on his feet?

Tony shifts from his position sat against the wall of the school, the rough concrete riding against his jacket. He nudges Gregory with his hand, trying not to startle him. "Greg, hey, man."

Gregory doesnt startle, but he does sort of wake up a bit, if his eyes being open for more than two seconds at a time is what you call awake. He looks over at Tony, and Tony frowns deeper at just how exhausted his eyes are. He misses the sparkle in them. When they'd get bright and crinkle at the corners when Gregory would smile at him (really. He doesnt stare at Gregorys eyes as much as you might be thinking. He swears.).

"Yeah?" Gregory asks. He tries to sit up a bit more, since those few moments of nodding off were all it took for him to sink to the ground. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Tony replies. "Its just... maybe you should take a nap, Greg."

"R'ght here?" Gregory responds, slightly gesturing at their surroundings. Even though its their corner, it's still mostly concrete and asphalt that would be uncomfortable to sleep on, with one measly bush protecting them from prying eyes. Theres almost zero privacy, but theres no-one around anyway.

Gregorys right that this would be a really sucky place to sleep, but... Tony and Gregory usually bike (or walk, in Greg's case) home, and if how Gregory was acting today is any indication, Tony doesn't think he can make the trek like this. If he could, he'd come home with Greg and make sure he got enough rest, but Vanessa has work around this time and wont even be off for another two hours. The perfect amount of time for a nap before she can come pick them up.

"Theres nowhere to sleep." Gregory points out, gesturing at the concrete floor with rocks and pebbles strewn around its surface.

Tony takes a moment to respond. He could use their backpacks as a pillow, but Tony knows they suck at being comfortable. They're full of books and calculators and pens and pencils. He could always lean against the wall, but that would be awful for his back and neck.

Gregorys looking at him slightly expectantly. Tony's mind is going haywire with a clear and obvious solution, and before he can lose his nerve-- "Lay down."

Gregory raises a brow. "Where?"

Tony wishes he didnt have to say it out loud. He glances away, face warm. "Here. Uh... lay your head here."

He pats his hand on his lap.

Tony's still looking away; his stomach is churning with nerves and his face is on fire, but he can still catch the way that Gregory seems to wake up a bit more at that from the corner of his eye.

Its painfully silent for a few seconds straight, and Tony almost starts to panic before Gregory finally responds.

It's not with words, it's by shifting his body and carefully and gently angling himself to lay horizontally next to Tony on the asphalt, and lowering his head onto Tony's jeans.

Tony tries his absolute hardest not to lock up and tremble and shake; that'd make a pretty bad pillow. It's hard though, when Greg's face is right below him, and if Tony tipped his chin down he'd be face to face with him. He wonders if he should. If Gregory may be looking at him with his sparkling eyes again.

He eventually does, despite his burning red face and the butterflies in his stomach. It's only in his peripherals that he can catch a glimpse of how Greg's hair is spread out on Tony's legs and fallen away from his face.

He's laying on his back and his face is pointed straight up at the sky. Tony thinks about how easy it would be for Gregory to see Tony's face like this. If he's admiring Tony the way Tony wants to admire him.

He glances down, and unlike how he was expecting, Gregory's still wide awake, looking up at Tony with half lidded eyes and meeting his gaze as soon as Tony allows himself to look.

Despite the fact that Tony's mind is screaming at him and his face is definitely more of a crimson now, he finds it in him to smile, and for his body to relax more. Greg looks comfortable. That's all he cares about.

"Go to sleep, Greg." Tony tells him, voice soft as silk. "I'll wake you up from your nap when it's time."

Gregory doesn't respond. He just keeps looking at Tony, and then he smiles ever so slightly before his eyes finally flutter closed.

Tony feels the smile stretch farther on his face when he got to have shining gold eyes looking right in his before Greg had finally taken his nap. The nerves make his legs and his limbs want to twitch and spasm and move, but Tony stubbornly keeps them still. He doesnt want to disturb Gregory's sleep. Not when he's finally resting.

He's not sure what to do, for a moment. He realizes he'd zoned out looking at Greg's sleeping face for a second there, and he looks away with a twinge in his heart. He's not sure where to put his arms, and he's zeroed in on the feeling of Gregory using his legs as a pillow. He can barely focus on anything else.

He sighs out, trying to relax, and manages to wrestle his phone out of his jacket pocket. He keeps his gaze carefully away from Gregory's peaceful face, feeling embarrassment shoot through his chest.

His Mom and Grandma usually expect him to not come home after school nowadays, because he goes home with Gregory so often. They usually wait for a text from him to tell them what's up if he doesnt show.

I wont be home today He texts his Mom. Staying at Gregorys.

He shuts off his phone after that, thinking he should really read some of that book hes been working at right now, since all hes doing is sitting here.

Here with Gregory sleeping on you. His mind says. Think about what that means.

He pauses. He cant think about what it fully means. He cant think about how much Greg trusts him to do this, or how he hadn't even hesitated, or how he'd been out like a light as soon as Tony told him he'd take care of him.

He risks a glance back at Greg from where he'd been watching a random tree in the distance, and ignores the way his heart flutters when he realizes just how much Greg truly is resting right now. Resting on him.

School has long since let out, but it's almost Summer, so the sun doesn't set really early like it does in Winter. The sky, despite the fact, is a beautiful milky pink color with yellow clouds. Tony thinks it's because the school is near a gas station. He once read up on that.

The sky casts a glow on them, since the roof doesnt cover them, and Tony wishes he could see it reflected in Greg's eyes, here. He wishes that he could keep talking to him. He wishes a lot of things about how Gregory's sleeping on his lap right now.

Tony dares to wish that maybe this doesnt have to be a one-time thing. Maybe, on nice days like this, where nobody bothers to stick around school when it lets out, they can come to this spot and do this more often. Tony dares to hope he'll be able to admire Gregory this way again.

The thought makes his cheeks burn, and he let's himself look a little longer, noticing how the sky being cast above is making it easier to see the faint freckles on Greg's face and how his eyebrows are slack and for once, not furrowed or upturned in worry. How his lips are slightly parted and Tony can see the gap where his missing tooth is. How he can trace the line of his face scar traveling up his jaw and curving on the bridge of his nose.

He pointedly doesn't acknowledge how his own eyes are half-lidded like how Greg's were. That was from tiredness though, right?

Greg is peaceful right now, and asleep and resting, and Tony is glad to be his pillow. He realizes he'd do this many times over, if he could. He wonders if Greg would do the same for him and if Tony would be able to be the one lying on someone happy to be his pillow and looking at the sky and in his eyes, the stars as well.

Tony doesn't take out his book.

ao3 link