#because they WANT to stir up izzy enjoyers

[gydima]

You ever think about how there would probably be 25% fewer Izzy Hands posts if some of the people who dislike him would adjust WHERE they talk about him?

Like, I get why some people hate Izzy. No big deal that people have different opinions than me! The problem lies in beating the same dead horse IN THE IZZY HANDS TAG or in direct response to Izzy enjoyers' posts.

For anyone who hates Izzy and genuinely wants to see less about him, the solution is simple and two-pronged:

If you make a post criticizing him, tag it "Izzy Hands critical." Izzy enjoyers are far less likely to jump to his defense there than in the regular old "Izzy Hands" tag. (We may never even see it if we have that tag filtered!)

Try not to yuck someone's yum in response to Izzy-positive posts. You won't have to expend your energy in a pointless back-and-forth battle if you ignore posts by Izzy enjoyers or block us altogether if our opinions bother you overmuch.

Rest assured, we've heard MANY TIMES why Izzy is crap and people shouldn't like him. Unless you're a galaxy-brained individual with an earth-shattering new analysis, one more post/response isn't going to make us see the anti-Izzy light.

(For the record, when Izzy-critical folks say something negative about him in their OWN blogs and DON'T use the Izzy Hands main tag, I think it would behoove Izzy enjoyers to scroll on past and not engage either. No one's convincing anyone to change their opinions, let's be real.)

[dragonmuse]

I absolutely love the most recent You're Awful, I Love You story and the new facets of Eddy, Izzy and Stede that come out in this scenario. If you revisit this timeline, I would adore seeing how Izzy and Lucius work here: what different things they bring out in each other, find attractive about each other, or discover about themselves in their relationship in a world where Izzy is married to Eddy.

(you got it anon! I was already in that headspace, so this came fast and furious. It's also about Eddy because of course it is.)

They go out a few times before Izzy can work himself up enough to make it to the bedroom. Each time, he thinks that this’ll be the one and each time he just says good night instead and drops Lucius off at his apartment building. Lucius doesn’t seem to mind, if anything, he’s amused. 

“I thought it was novel,” he would say many months later when Izzy asked him about it. “And kind of sweet.” 

Izzy didn’t feel sweet. He felt uncertain. Maybe even a little bit scared.  He knew Eddy had had other people before they’d gotten serious with Izzy. A good amount of them. But Izzy hadn’t. He wasn’t sure Eddy knew that.  It wasn’t like he’d told them.

Eventually though, Lucius got him up against the front door of the house and kissed him with a lot of focus, one hand wrapped around Izzy’s wrist and the other in his hair, pulling a little.  Just enough to rile Izzy’s lust past his anxiety. 

“You want come in?” Izzy asked. 

“Hell yeah, I do.” 

Izzy took him to the guest bedroom. Neither of them bothered with the lights, but the moon flooded through the window. Lucius wasn’t gentle, but he also wasn’t out to cause pain. He asked a lot of questions and notably, once, laughed seemingly out of pure enjoyment. After Lucius came for the second time, he collapsed down onto the bed with a pleased sigh. Izzy rolled onto his side to study him. He was lovely, bathed in cool light.  

“I had a feeling you could use all that intense energy in bed. Glad I was right,” Lucius smiled at him. “Good for you?” 

“Yeah,” Izzy said roughly.  “Really good.” 

“You pass out after, don’t you?” 

“....yeah,” he yawned. “Sorry?” 

Lucius shook his head, “It’s fine. Is it all right if I stay?” 

“Mhm. Eddy won’t be back until late tomorrow. I can make breakfast in the morning.” 

"I’d rather just eat you."

It was starker in the morning light. Lucius wasn’t a neat sleeper, but that was fine. Izzy was used to waking at odd hours for a dozen reasons, and fell back asleep easily enough these days. But when they were both up and the sun left no room for debate, Izzy could see all the places that Lucius was different, soft where Eddy was hard, a lushness of flesh that Izzy wanted to knead like a cat. 

It didn’t feel like a betrayal at all. He’d imagined it would, planned to feel guilty and raw, but it was impossible under Lucius’ attention with  his wry grin and clever fingers. When Izzy made him breakfast, Lucius talked to him idly, leaned against the counter and asked about what he was doing, complimenting his knife skills.

“How do you like your bacon?” Izzy asked, flustered and pleased. 

“Practically burnt, thanks.” 

They ate on the porch and Lucius made very quiet sex noises at the bacon which stirred Izzy in a new and baffling way.

“I could take a nap after that,” Lucius groaned and stretched out his legs. “What would you usually be doing?”

“Usually fuck around in the workshop or read out here. Not exactly a party.”

“Yeah I’m not up for a party anyway, but I could do some reading.” 

Lucius  had packed a book, of course he had, and draped himself over Izzy’s lap, opening the paperback with a happy sigh. Izzy tentatively rested his hand in Lucius’ chest and stared sightlessly as his own book for a while. It was remarkably good to just be like this. Eventually he even started reading, occasionally pausing to watch a bird flit by. 

“Hey,” Lucius said during one such interval. “Can I ask you something? About last night?” 

“Yeah,” Izzy closed the book around his finger, holding his place. 

“Seemed a few times you were waiting. Holding back a little. Was everything okay?” 

“I’m not...” Izzy fumbled for the words. “I don’t usually decide how things go, I guess. I mean. I like not being the one...” 

“Ah,” Lucius smiled faintly. “I was wondering. You could’ve told me. I don’t mind being bossy. I like it, most of the time.” 

“I know,” Izzy said dryly, accepting the gentle swat at his arm. “I like that about you, for the record.” 

“Oh,” the smile intensified. “That’s cool. But I mean it. You need to tell me what you like and what you don’t. I’m not a mind reader.” 

“You asked plenty last night.” 

“Sure and I still will, but it helps if you don’t wait for me to guess.” 

“It’s not something I talk about a lot.” 

“You’ve been with Eddy for how long? You guys must’ve talked about sex sometimes.” 

“Nine years. And...not really.”  They certainly hadn’t in the beginning and now it had its own ebb and flow. “We just know by now.” 

“That is really not how it had ever worked for me, but uh, you do you, I guess. As long as everyone is satisfied.” 

Oh good, something new to worry about. Izzy filed that away in his head so he could concentrate on Lucius. 

“I’ll work on it,” he offered. 

“Okay. Start now. Tell me what worked and didn’t for you last night.” 

That was hard, but it was a clear request and Izzy was good with those. He tried his best to articulate what had been good, what had been uncomfortable or strange to him. Lucius didn’t get offended, just listened and then offered his own opinions. After a while, it wasn’t odd anymore. It was talking over anything that could be improved. 

And that’s how it went with Lucius. There was never any guessing or games. Sometimes Lucius would tease, but it was playful, never cruel. Izzy just knew where he stood and what Lucius wanted. 

“Feelings on outdoor blowjobs?” Lucius would ask. 

“Fine by me, but I’m going to need a cushion for my knees.” 

And then it would just happen. They had fun together, in a way Izzy hadn’t anticipated either. Lucius was clever with dates, and when Izzy started venturing suggestions, Lucius rarely said no to his ideas.  Izzy tried not to overlap with places that he and Eddy enjoyed together. It was easier to divide that up. Though they naturally spent a lot of time at the house. Lucius left things in the drawers of the guest room. 

Izzy got to know Pete and he was a decent enough guy. They got along okay which he hadn’t really thought was possible, but Pete was just so willing to make friends it was hard to build any real tension. 

“He’s a lot,” Pete admitted with a fond smile as they both watched Lucius try to learn a dance step from Jim without stepping on their toes again. “All the time. Big personality, lots of words. I love all of it, but I’m happy to share it too.” 

And more than any piece of advice Lucius handed out, that stuck to Izzy’s bones. He went home and got in bed with Eddy, who was by any definition ‘a lot’.  She spilled over every margin, her hands went into every pot and bag. There was nowhere her reach didn’t extend. Nowhere except to Lucius, who danced out of her grasp at every opportunity.  

“Stop staring at me when I’m sleeping, you lunatic,” Eddy muttered, reaching for him. “What?” 

Izzy moved closer to let them prod him into an acceptable pillow. When they had their head comfortably cushioned on his arm, he trailed a hand over their shoulder. He knew they were awake, could hear it in their breathing. He knew them so well, and yet, sometimes not at all.

“Does Bonnet ever get on you for not talking shit through with me?” He asked. 

“Yeah, it’s come up,” Eddy muttered. 

“Lucius judges me hard for it,” he admitted. 

“Who cares what he thinks,” she groused.  

Eddy and Lucius should really get along. They had a lot in common and Eddy had a soft spot for sarcastic assholes. Instead, their mutual antipathy practically had a flavor that Izzy could taste at the back of throat when they were in the same room. 

“I do,” he went on rubbing her back in slow circles. “And I care what you think.” 

“I’ve noticed that, believe it or not. What do you want to talk about then?” 

And it was so much and nothing all at once. He had a million questions, but wanted the answers to so few of them. A lot of things he wanted to tell them that got stuck in his throat. 

“I never told you that you were my first,” he settled on. 

“First what?”  She arched her back into his hand, signaling him to scratch and he chased the itch for her. 

“Never had sex with anyone else before.” 

Eddy went still. He could practically hear her reviewing the memory.   Izzy did the same. Whatever he’d imagined sex would be like, it hadn't been getting railed on thin carpet stretched over cement, Eddy arched over him like she wasn’t sure if she wanted it to last or she wanted to kill him. 

“That explains a lot,” she said eventually. “Jesus fuck, you couldn’t have said anything?” 

“At what point would that have happened?” He snorted. “It wasn’t exactly either of our finest hour. And I didn’t want you to know. I was a dumb kid, I thought if you knew, you’d stop.” 

“Huh. I’m not sure that I would’ve.” She slid her hand over his hip. “I always thought you were cute back then.” 

“Cute?” He asked, a little offended on his past self’s behalf. 

“Sure. Cute. Sexy. Hot. Walking around like you’d run things one day,” she squeezed his hip reassuringly. “Cocky little bastard. I didn't know I wanted you until that moment though. Made me uneasy. Wasn’t exactly a great first time, huh?” 

The lie was on the tip of his tongue. Sure, Eddy, it was great. Did not leave me at all at sea when you slammed the bathroom door like you couldn't get away fast enough. Alleviate all of the potential emotional fall out. But he could hear Lucius buzzing in his ear about how much easier things were when you just said what you fucking well meant.

“No,” he said instead. “I was happy it happened. That you wanted me. But I wish it had gone differently.” 

“Yeah.” She pressed a kiss to his chest. “Sorry, Iz. Mine sucked too, if it helps.” 

“Doesn’t. But...tell me about it?” He asked. 

They sighed and shifted around a little until he was sure he was about to get a ‘no’. But instead, she started talking. 

They both talked until the wee hours. It wasn’t bad, being confidential in the dark. It was easier, not to see each other’s faces as they brought up old memories and hung them out to dry. They talked about sex too and it was very odd to be pressed close together, discussing the things they did without actually doing them.  

When there were no more words, Eddy tugged him on top of her and they rocked against each other in a sleepy rhythm. It was good. Easy, actually. 

The next morning when Eddy greeted the sun by padding out barefoot and whistling to weed the garden, Izzy pulled out his phone. 

Izzy: you’re pretty smart sometimes 

Lucius: What’s with the sudden compliments? Are you dying? 

Izzy: not today. Just thought about some things you said and used my words. Worked out. 

Lucius: Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Good for you. 

Izzy: speaking of dogs. there’s a wolf conservation center two towns over from here. Saw a sign for it last week. They do a wine night. Drink a glass, meet a wolf, and listen to the pack howl. Want to go? 

Lucius:  Yes, sounds fun. Never met a wolf.  

In the garden, Eddy was talking seriously to failing jasmine that she had tried to start from seed twice already.  As soon as his eyes fell on her, her gaze snapped up to meet his. Then she smiled, winked and then went back to scolding the yellowing tendrils. 

Izzy: Got a hunch you’ll get along fine.

[spphirrguearc]

@kraekns​ inquired  :  [ GO ]  for the taller muse to pick up the shorter one and carry them away from a potential/just started fight. / heheh e > : )  /  meme.

          BOREDOM ITCHED FIGHTS. Often catalyst, the wooden spoon that stirred for trouble. All because she was bored, &&. begging for anything to bring about its end. Observing the crew proved useful, learning the things that irked them. That crawled under skin like unwanted bugs, causing reactions. Exactly what she was doing, crawling under the skin of First Mate, though not the best idea she has ever had. His reputation was that of patience, cunning &&. often brutal. 

          BRACED FOR FIGHT. Limbs tense, anticipating, patiently waiting. Waiting for anything, something. Edward had grown accustomed to her ways, especially attempts to cause a reaction. Often, he would laugh, finding her attempts amusing. So, pestering his crew came to be the best idea for her. Purposely attempting to irritate Izzy, a mistake in itself, not knowing what would happen next.

          ❛  Oh  !  ❜  ACTIONS SWIFTLY FOLLOWED. Before mind could register the sounds of leather against wood, she was snatched. Lifted without a second thought, captured with surprising grace &&. ease, before being tossed over shoulder. Judgement of clothing gracing her skin, the smell of salt in hair, clarified that it was indeed the very captain who was supposedly used to her antics.  ❛  Put me down this instant  !  ❜

          CARRIED LIKE PRIZE. Ed’s chuckling was audible, as if amused by her squirms of desperation. Part of her wanted to turn the tables, force the captain against a wall &&. remind him that she was not his to handle in such a manner. Yet, she did not entirely mind being handled in such a way, strangely enough ... Once placed down, out of sight of his curious crew, in the safety of his quarter, Serene raised a finger to speak.

          ❛  Firstly, what do you honestly expect me to do aboard here, dance about naked all day  ?  That would entertaining some of your crew, probably. But this boredom is killing me, Ed, you’re boring your lady  !  ❜  WHY SO AMUSED  ?  Was she amusing to him  ? Did he find her protests entertaining  ?  ❛  Secondly, why carry me away  ?  There was no harm happening.  Thirdly, I did not expect you to pick me up so easily, it was quite enjoyable, if I’m perfectly honest with you.  ❜