#fix it

[pengold]

Steven Rudboys, the "Pilot"

.

Headcannon for him is that his father is the head of the Irish mafia and he is training to be the next head. Also, he has a crush on Nacha and totally had nothing to do with her husband's death.

((I have been informed that his skin tone is brown and thus rectified my mistake. And lowkey I thought something looked off and now he looks much better.))

[whenitcomestodeath]

My boy deserved to hear this again and again and again! Sksks

The Golden apples of the Sun by intothesilentland

[bluessom1]

Under the awning !

[vavoom-sorted-art]

Dtiys Prize: Do it again!

As requested by @zevampirex: A fluffy season 2 fix it kiss, featuring the infamous "Do it again" line. Congrats again!

[risingmoonyue]

AU in which the chancellor dies in a freak (probably Zillo-beast related) accident. Everyone is attending his funeral and really, the Jedi are trying really hard to mourn but it’s incredibly difficult to when the entirety of the coruscant guard is apparently throwing a mental and spiritual party so loud in the Force Dathomir can feel it.

[lost-sheep]

"...in his original outline...he [Luo Binghe] had been doomed to fade away, alone and unchanging forever,

𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵." -Extra 6 - Airplaine's Adventure Log

[stephpotterart]

The Triumphant Return

Final colour version of this piece, which has been living on my Patreon since July!

My Patreon is full of unseen art, and lots of perks only available there! Patrons also get discounts on commissions!

[cod-dump]

MWIII? What are you talking about? Must’ve had a crazy dream, dude. Did you forget to take your daily fic? Edit? Fanart? Can’t forget those, man, they’re for your own good. Enough with the MWIII, it’s not real, it can’t hurt you.

[thewitchoflove-art]

Reupload because (and please don't make fun of me) I finally learned to make straight lines x'D

[the-shotce-newsletter]

Finished the MW3 Fix-It I started back in November!! They all have a nice long weekend in the snow as our man recovers, Gaz has spiked hot chocolate, Soap Atholl Brose and Price some sleep. Ghost just needs his Johnny. Yes that’s a wee Laswell and her wife in the background.

The idea for atholl brose cocktail and cranachan I got from this incredible fic, a def Must Read about Johnny trying to find his feet again after being medically discharged with the help of his crazy but loving family. The ANGST, but also soft feels and the awkward but passionate ghostsoap? Delicious. I had a fic hangover. The Scotty dog tat Simon has is a ref to several fics I sadly don’t recall the names of.

[szlez]

New Beginnings

Prompt used: Starting anew (obviously ;)

As for a challenge to finish something I couldn't make before the end of the year. If you treat this piece as a continuation of that one then I guess the challenge can be considered completed (sort of).

For this thing.

[natalievoncatte]

Something, some instinct, told Lena that she wasn’t alone. She wanted to blame it on the whisky, but it was better to check. She grabbed the gun from its hiding place beneath a pillow, where she kept it in case of an intruder.

She wasn’t sure why she did that now; she was, in theory, safe from her greatest enemy. After all, Lena had murdered him in cold blood. She’d killed her own brother for a monstrous lie, and while there was little to mourn -the man he was died years ago by his own hand- it hurt. It hurt so much that the pain squeezed out of every pore, until she awoke in the depths of the night thinking the hot stains on her cheeks might have been from crying blood.

The one person she had truly trusted, respected, revered-

(desired)

-was a lie, an illusion. At least Lex had, at one point, been real.

Lena scouted her apartment. It didn’t occur her to check the balcony until she was about to go to bed. She was on the thirty-sixth floor. No one could get up here.

Kara was outside.

She hasn’t landed; she was hanging in the air with her cape lazily swirling against her legs as she hung in the nighttime breeze. She was far enough away that Lena couldn’t get a read on her.

“What do you want?”

She drifted closer, in that unnerving way she had.

“Hi.”

Lena sighed, and waved a dismissive hand.

“Go away, Supergirl. I’m not in the mood for another speech.”

Lena turned back inside, but stopped when she felt the soft gust of wind. Kara was a few feet away from the balcony now, arms wrapped tightly around herself.

She hated how things had changed when Kara told her. She no longer saw Supergirl, just Kara in a costume. It was impossible not to see her, and yet for three long years she’d done just that. Blinded herself. Refused to see the bitter truth. All she’d ever wanted was a real friend

(lover)

who respected and admired

(and loved and cherished)

her and with whom she could share those feelings, and she’d really thought Kara was it. She was the best friend

(the one)

that Andrea and Jack could never have been. She believed that so deeply.

(she doesn’t want me the way I want her)

“I’m not here to give you a speech.”

Lena looked up sharply.

“Then what? Here to stop me? Foil my evil plans? I’m a villain now, remember.”

Kara’s face turned hard. “Don’t lie to me.”

Lena barked out a bitter laugh, feeling that need rise inside her, that anger. She had lost everything. The love of her mother, the protection of her brother. No matter how wealthy she was, she could never have those back. There was no price for what Lena wanted.

“How dare you say those words to me,” Lena hissed. “You’re the biggest liar I’ve ever met. Everything you’ve ever said to me is a lie.’

“That’s not true.”

“You told me you’d always protect me. Who’ll protect me from you?”

Kara looked away, shuddering as she breathed, or silently sobbing. Lena smiled a thin smile, glad to twist the knife.

(stop it stop it stop it stop hurting her)

“Something happened to me tonight.”

“I don’t care.”

“A fifth-dimensional being came to me and offered to let me change the past. I could change whatever I wanted.”

“I don’t see any changes,” said Lena.

Kara shook her head. “His gifts were all poison. Every time I tried to fix what happened, it turned out wrong. I tried and tried and tried until I realized what was happening.”

“Which is?”

“I was supposed to learn that I can’t just push past my mistakes. I have to own them and accept the consequences. There’s no magic wand that can fix us.”

“There is no us, Kara. We weren’t meant to be.”

“How can you say that?”

Kara drifted closer, sank down so they were face to face with the balcony railing between them.

“How can you say that?”

“It’s obvious. Whatever this was, it wasn’t meant to be. We’re just too different.”

Kara shook her head.

“When I think of all the things that had to happen in order for me to be here right now, it boggles my mind,” said Kara. “Two species from two different galaxies evolved so close together. Just the chances of that happening are incredibly small, and…

“And then my people had to find this world, and Kal-El’s parents had to choose it for their son. This world, this world specifically, and then I had to get stuck in the phantom zone on my way here. All of those things and a billion others all had to happen in perfect, crystalline order just for me to walk into that office and see you.”

Lena has gone still, listening. Kara looked at her so intently, so reverently, that Lena felt something strain inside her, stretch against itself to the point of breaking. It took all her many years of carefully honed composure to keep herself still.

“Every moment I had with you was a gift. Every single one. There are times when… there are times when I think that if I could somehow have saved Krypton, I don’t know if I could, because it would mean losing you. I don’t know if that’s a choice I could make and I don’t know what that means.”

“That’s lovely,” Lena said, trying and brutally failing to keep her voice from cracking, “but it doesn’t change anything.”

Kara let out a soft, choked sound.

“I know that. I know I ruined everything and I can’t fix it. I just needed to say this because it needed to be said. I’m not here to ask you to forgive me. I’m here to ask you to forgive yourself.”

“Oh, please.”

“I can’t stop you.”

Lena blinked. “What?”

“I can’t stop you. I can’t fight you. I know that now. It doesn’t matter what you do, I won’t ever hurt you again. I don’t want to confront what that means.”

“That’s rich, considering that the last time we had one of these chats, your sister pointed an orbital fusion canon at my head.”

“If she’d fired that thing,” said Kara, “there would be no more satellite, and no more DEO. I would shatter the foundations and pull down the walls. I would rain destruction on whoever hurt you. I’ve seen what happens to me when something happens to you. I never want to see it again.”

Lena leaned on the railing. “Go away.”

“What you have planned, you need to stop. I can’t stop you, and if I can’t, no one can. Please, Lena. I’m begging you, don’t do this. Don’t become someone you’ll hate just to hurt me. I’m not worth it.”

“Not everything is about you, Supergirl.”

“Please. Don’t take away everyone’s choice. I know what that’s like.”

“Oh?”

Kara nodded, and in the moonlight, her tears sparkled on her skin. “On Krypton, we were assigned to guilds as children. We had arranged marriages. Everything about our lives was planned from birth. Here, people have so much choice. Yes, they make mistakes, but people choose life and art and love. You can’t take that away over me.”

“It’s too late,” Lena said, her voice cracking, finally. “I’m doing it and if you won’t stand in my way, it’ll be done.”

Kara took a deep breath.

“Okay. I guess I should go.”

Lena rocked back.

“What? No. I’m going through with the plan.”

“I know. I won’t fight you.”

Kara turned, about to rocket off into the sky.

“You can’t just leave!” Lena screamed, her voice ragged from liquor and tears.

Kara stopped.

“You’re supposed to fight me. You’re supposed to yell at me and tell me the truth, that you knew I was a monster all along, that you were just staying close to me to watch me, to get to Lex. You’re supposed to fight me! You’re supposed to fight me!”

“No.”

Lena let out an incoherent scream and balled her hands into fists, meaning to slam them on the balcony, but they struck the implacable flesh of Kara’s chest. Powerful arms gathered around Lena, sheltering her from the nighttime chill and the voiceless judgment of distant stars.

“I won’t ever hurt you again,” Kara murmured. “I promise. If you’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you for what I’ve done.”

“Why?” Lena whimpered. “Why won’t you just fight back?”

“Because you’re just like me. We’ve both lost so much. We both don’t want to see anyone else die.”

Lena should have shoved her away, demanded to be set free, screamed, protested, shoved. Instead her arms wound around Kara, drawn as if by gravity, and Kara’s gentle fingers began to stroke through her hair, her warm breath on the crown of Lena’s head.

“Come back to our life, Lena. To our friends. Come home.”

“I killed my big brother.”

“I know. I failed you both. I’m Supergirl. I’m supposed to find another way, a perfect solution.”

“I had to. He’d never have let you live if he knew how I f…”

Lena caught herself as the last moment.

It was Kara who sobbed now, her entire body shuddering. So much power with so much tenderness, her vast crushing strength kept at bay as she held Lena like one of the most precious of treasures.

“In one of the timelines that Mxy showed me, you… you told me how you felt as you were dying. I saw you die so many times, I can’t do it again.”

Lena tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry.

“I didn’t get to tell you before you died. I was scared. I never thought you’d want me like I want you.”

Lena went stock still, feeling Kara’s shuddering breath against her as she held her own. She couldn’t look up, afraid that if she did, this would be a cruel nightmare and she’d jolt awake in an empty bed and a penthouse full of bitter memories.

“Kara,” Lena began, finally. “Kara, what are you saying? What do you mean?”

“It’s so hard to say,” Kara sighed, and then, almost to herself, “even if I don’t have much left to lose.”

“Say it.”

“I love you.”

Lena’s heart soared, and a harsh sob exploded out of her. She’d dreamed of those words, longed for them, needed to hear them. So many times, Lena had almost let herself believe it.

“I want this to be real,” said Lena. “I just don’t know if I can forgive you, Kara. It hurt so much.”

“Can we try?” said Kara. “Can we give it a chance? Can you give me a chance?”

Lena finally looked up, and when she saw those tear-stained blue eyes filled in equal measure with terror and hope, she knew.

“Yes,” she said, simply.

Lena looked behind her, and was suddenly full of revulsion and regret. She hated this place.

“Can you take me back to your loft?”

Kara lifted her easily into a bridal carry and into the sky.

[mychemicalrachel]

Full disclosure, I have not seen the Teen Wolf movie and no I do not plan on it. I have caught a few things through the magic of tumblr and I had some thoughts. So if everything I saw is accurate; Derek has a kid Eli (basically a Stiles replacement since Dylan wasn’t in the movie. Also, nobody knows who his mother is?) and Derek dies, and he leaves his kid to Scott and Allison. Am I right so far? I’ve seen a few posts entertaining the idea of Stiles being Eli’s other dad, fix-its that have him resurrecting/saving Derek in some capacity. And so it got me thinking of my own version of how I would fix this dumpster fire and like,

What if Stiles was not Eli’s dad?

No no no, hear me out, okay?

Derek had Eli with some one night stand or whatever, it’s not important. She’s not in the picture but neither is Stiles. Stiles is just the one that got away, he’s the guy Derek has been pining over for the past fifteen years, and nothing more. Stiles finally got away from the supernatural shitshow and Derek is not going to be the one to drag him back into it just because he has feelings for him.

But Stiles is still the closest thing Derek has ever had to family and it makes sense for Derek to entrust his family with Stiles’ family. So what if he left Eli in the care of John? (hIS NAME IS JOHN, FIGHT ME ON THIS.) And John, he kind of adores the kid, right? Of course when Derek dies (because he does) John takes Eli in just as he promised he would.

But John is getting older. Eli is a handful because he is just like Stiles. John has to tell Stiles eventually what happened and he really could use some help trying to wrangle a grieving teenager, so he calls Stiles.

Stiles is FURIOUS when he finds out what happened. He hasn’t been in contact with Scott for years because he realized what a piece of shit Scott was, but the fact that Scott didn’t even call when everything was happening makes him angry. The fact that they let Derek die?? More than angry. Angry enough to kill somebody. But when he meets Eli, all that anger disappears. Eli, who is this weird mix of Derek and Stiles, who is mourning the loss of his only parent, his only family. He knows what it’s like to lose a parent, but even after his mom died, he always had his dad. Eli doesn’t have that so Stiles makes it his responsibility to become that figure for him. Not his dad because nobody could replace Derek, but a guardian.

He moves back to town, he bonds with Eli, and in his spare time he maybe starts to explore the possibilities of necromancy. Death in a place like Beacon Hills has never been permanent– Peter and now Allison are proof of that. He doesn’t tell anybody because he doesn’t actually plan on bringing Derek back, it’s just a thought that keeps him from falling apart entirely. During this time, he realizes not only his feelings for Derek, but Derek’s feelings for him. He wishes he could have just a few minutes with Derek, wishes he could go back in time and redo everything. Maybe he would have stayed in Beacon Hills, or he would have asked Derek to leave with him. And time travel, yeah that’s a possibility, too, but time is a fickle bitch and Stiles isn’t willing to gamble with it. What if he messes something up and erases Eli from existence?

In the end, bringing Derek back is kind of an accident.

Years have passed and Eli is healing, Stiles is healing– they even manage to fix the jeep together because symbolism. Stiles is going through some old journals or something of Deaton’s and he finds something that looks kind of promising (something about true love being the one thing more powerful than death or something equally as cheesy) and he’s reading it out loud and it just happens. No fanfare, no sparks, almost like it’s not magic at all. One second, Stiles is alone, and the next, Derek is there– older than the last time Stiles saw him, just as beautiful. There’s some panic because what the fuck, the last thing Derek remembers is the fire and being so sure he was going to die and thinking if only I could see Stiles one more time and now he’s here, standing in front of Stiles– also older than the last time Derek saw him, and just as beautiful. But after the panic, there’s some kissing and some crying and some long awaited love confessions, and by the time they go home, Stiles still isn’t sure exactly what happened, what he did, what the consequences might be, but he’s got his arm around Derek’s waist and the burn of Derek’s stubble on his lips and Derek is alive so nothing else fucking matters.

[eddiemunsonssoulmate]

Say you'll still be by my side

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Word Count: 6k

Summary: Eddie made it out of the Upside Down, barely alive. He’s in a coma now but you refuse to let him go.

Warnings: Hurt & Comfort, Fluff, Trauma, Scars, Light Angst

Available on: AO3

A/N: Another Fix-It but this time with the reader taking care of him. The Duffers have to pry him off my cold hands if they want me to let him go because there’s no way this is happening any time soon. Hope this gives you as much comfort as it gave me while writing it. Eddie is alive and I accept nothing else.

“I can’t believe we did it!” Robin said and hugged you while your eyes were fixed on the bloody ground in front the villa. Was that really it? That…easy?

You hugged her back, but your mind was already wandering towards the two people who were supposed to distract the bats. It must have worked because you didn’t see a single one.

“Let’s get back to the others quickly,” you suggested and she let go of you, your eyes finding Steve’s and he gave you a nod.

There was this feeling in your stomach and a painful tug on your heart. The four of you quickly made the way back to the trailer.

They would be fine. They promised they’re not heroes, promised they’d run as soon as it got bad. You would have stayed with them, but Eddie absolutely refused to let you join the ‘Bait Party’ how he had called it.

He had been the bait and yet, he had been so worried about you.

Letting go of his hand as you split up had been the hardest thing you had done in your entire life.

As the trailer park came closer, your steps became faster without even realizing it until you broke out into a full jog.

“Y/N, wait!” Steve yelled after you, but you didn’t hear him. Your heart was pounding in your chest and you felt sick in your stomach.

As you broke through the tree line, you could hear someone crying and your stomach dropped. You looked around frantically until you saw Dustin, holding someone in his arms.

No.

You sprinted over to him. “Dustin! Eddie!”

He looked up at you as you basically fell to your knees next to him, his eyes red and puffy, tears straining his face.

No. No. No.

Eddie was in his arms, not moving, blood covering his face, the bats lying dead all around them. His body was covered in bites and scratches, his clothes were painted in red and it made you so, so sick.

“No,” you whispered in disbelief and Dustin wanted to say something but only violent wails came out of his mouth.

You took Eddie’s head and put it in your lap, moving the hair out of his face, wiping the blood of his cheek. It was only a very faint movement, but you felt his breath on your hand. He was unconscious and barely breathing.

“He’s alive,” you whispered, and Dustin looked at you with big eyes, his wails stopping. “We need to get him out of here.”

Dustin seemed to need a moment to actually realize what you said and then nodded, swallowing hard. “I’m sorry, I-”

“Don’t be sorry, he will be fine.” You were convinced of that. You needed to believe that, or you'd break apart right here, right now. There was also no way you’d let Dustin take any kind of blame. He was too young for that.

The other three came through the tree line and Steve immediately came running as soon as he saw Dustin’s face, taking him into his arms and then looking down at you and Eddie.

“Is he…?” he carefully started to ask but you shook your head.

“Can you carry him? We need to get him to a hospital,” you said and swallowed, tears in your eyes. The way he lay there, bruised and bloodied, it broke your heart into a thousand pieces.

Your heart was beating in your chest and despite the anxiety eating you alive inside, you tried to stay calm. Hoping that if you were calm around Eddie, he would feel it somehow.

Steve nodded and let go of Dustin, Nancy placing an arm around the young boy instead to comfort him.

Your friend crouched down next to you, and you tried to lift Eddie up on his back so he could carry him better.

It worked, somehow. You stayed by Eddie’s side the whole time, taking one of his hands in yours. “I’m here, Eddie. I won’t leave you.” It was only a soft whisper in the darkness of the Upside Down but you were sure it would get through to him.

Dustin explained what happened as you were on the way to the portal, and you didn’t know if you were sad, angry, worried or everything at the same time. He wasn’t supposed to play the hero, but you understood why he did it.

The anxiety inside of you made it hard to breathe. He had to be okay.

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

The doctors didn’t give you a lot of hope.

‘If he makes it through the next two nights, he might live.’

Eddie was too strong to die, you were sure of that. He couldn’t. You needed him more than anything in your life. He was your home and your heart and there was no way you’d let him go.

They warned you the hospital costs were high, especially for a criminal like that and you wanted to punch them in the face right there. Nancy was already on it, talking to the government about making the murder charges go away.

The medical costs were something you would worry about later; you’d pay them on your own if you had to. Your parents would understand. Hopefully.

In the end, he was in a coma to let him recover from the blood loss and so he wouldn’t feel the pain. The wounds weren’t deep but there were so many of them. Attacked by wild dogs was the excuse. The doctors looked like they didn’t believed you but you couldn’t care less, they would never understand.

This town was fucked anyway.

Your days were filled with visiting him at the hospital. After Vecna had opened the portals through Hawkins, everything was a mess but all you cared about was him and Max. Every time you went to get a coffee, you also checked on Max who was in a room nearby.

She had always been like a little sister to you, especially after losing Billy, but you couldn’t split yourself apart, so you were thankful that Lucas was here for her every day.

At the beginning, the nurses kicked you out at night. No visitors allowed bullshit. Sometimes you sneaked back in. After Eddie was declared innocent, thanks to the whole government relationships you had, the nurses accepted you here around the clock. They know they couldn’t keep you away.

Suddenly it was okay. It made you angry, but you didn’t want to project any bad energy to Eddie, so you always swallowed your anger when you entered the room.

You were always holding his hand, letting him know you were here. You talked to him, sang to him, playing his favorite songs after basically bringing all his cassettes that were intact from his trailer. Sometimes you read to him from your favorite book, the one that he wanted to read just because you told him it was your favorite.

You told him a lot, about yourself, about your friends, about what was happening in Hawkins. All you wanted for him was to wake up and you had heard talking to a person in a coma would sometimes trigger something in them.

There was not a single day that passed where you didn’t tell him you love him. Placing kisses on his cheek, his forehead, his hands but you never got a reaction back.

He just lay there, eyes closed, his body bruised and battered and sometimes you weren’t even sure if he was still breathing. It hurt so much and it felt like a part of your soul was missing.

You frequently brought him flowers, sometimes you bought them, sometimes you just picked them randomly. It was important for you to let him know that someone had been here in case you weren’t present when he woke up.

You had no doubt that he would, one day.

Every time the nurses changed his bandages, you stayed in the room even though they always told you to get out. At this point you could probably change them by yourself from watching them so much.

The wounds were bad and nasty and some of them were even infected. They looked disgusting and would for sure leave some scars all over him. Nothing compared to the little scars he had before from falling off a bike or getting into a fight with someone.

Every time you saw the bat tattoo on his arm it made you sick. He really needed to get that replaced at some point, so you asked the nurses every time to cover it up with the bandage. They did it and you were grateful for that. You were sure if you had to look at it for too long, you’d break down crying.

Twice a week you shaved his beard, the small stubble that was growing. You knew he didn’t like his beard, so you made sure he didn’t wake up with one. One day, you’d ask him why he didn’t like it, he hadn’t told you yet and the curiosity has always been there. You assumed it might remind him too much of his father.

“Please, wake up, I need you.”

It was the plea that followed you through your everyday life now. You needed him so much and not hearing his voice was breaking your heart. The rare times you were at home you listened to the mixtape he made you where he had recorded himself singing songs that he had written for you.

It was the only way to hear his voice at the moment. You didn’t know how long you could do this anymore.

On the day where Hellfire would normally be, you’d bring D&D supplies to his room. You rolled some dice and talked about your characters and new campaign ideas. If he had a list with things he loved most, you were first, his guitar second and D&D was third.

He had promised you to teach you how to play the guitar one day. You kept reminding him of that, saying he couldn’t leave you until he taught you how to play Master of Puppets.

Days became weeks and sometimes there was this little voice in the back of your mind that told you he wouldn’t wake up anymore.

Things you didn’t want to hear. Your anxiety speaking.

You wouldn’t lose hope. He would wake up one day and even if it would take years, you’d be here for him. Moving on was not even an option.

Eddie was your entire life; you couldn’t let him go.

Wayne told you that he couldn’t pay for all the bills after so many weeks, but you just shook your head, telling him you would take care of it. At first, he refused but he loved his nephew like a son so in the end, he gladly took the offer.

It took some time to convince your parents as they hadn’t been fond of Eddie before but now with him in a coma and you barely at home, they realized how much he meant to you, so they agreed. Grateful wasn’t even enough to describe what this meant to you.

“You’re going to wake up,” you whispered to him that night. No matter how long it would take. You believed that he was strong enough to battle whatever was going on inside of him. There was no way he wasn’t able to defeat whatever was holding him captive inside his mind.

After you and Wayne, it was Dustin who came by most. The boy felt so guilty about everything that had happened, but you reassured him that he couldn’t have done anything. Eddie would be fine, no matter what. Dustin was too young to take any guilt inside of him.

The two of you grew even closer when you were sitting in the hospital room, talking to each other about your memories of your Dungeon Master. You hoped he could hear how much Dustin adored him.

“Your hair has gotten longer recently,” you told the boy, and your eyes went towards Eddie, then back to Dustin. “Got inspiration?”

Dustin chuckled and looked a little embarrassed. “Maybe?”

It was clear as day that he was growing out his hair so it could match Eddie’s and you thought it was really adorable. Steve was mostly acting like a babysitter and like a mother to Dustin, while Eddie was a big brother or father figure.

Eddie was a role model for Dustin, they were the same in a way and it was heartwarming to watch. You prayed to God that you could see their interaction again soon.

“He’ll wake up,” you promised Dustin and took his hands in yours, looking at him.

“I know. I just wish he already did,” he sighed, and you gave him a small smile. You understood that.

“On the bright side, your hair has more time to grow,” you teased and tugged a little on one of his long locks.

“Oi!” Dustin laughed and shook his head, eyes finding Eddie’s unmoving face again. “I miss him.”

“Me too,” you admitted and turned towards Eddie. It hurt to see him like that. Even after all this time, you couldn’t get used to it.

Spring turned into Summer and while the gang tried to figure out what the portals were and where Vecna went, the town slowly started to believe that it hadn’t been just an earthquake, starting to make conspiracy theories that the government was behind all of it.

But all you cared about was Eddie.

You didn’t give a shit about the town. You barely cared if any Demogorgons came to eat you alive because life isn't worth living without him anyway. All you wanted was to hear him say your name again.

It had been a long day at the hospital again and you could barely stay awake. You were holding his hand, your face on top of the bed and sleep was slowly washing over you. It was so hard to keep your eyes open and the last few months had left traces on your body and mind.

Coming here every day, caring for him, worrying about him, it was physically and mentally exhausting. Some of your friends from school had asked if you were sure about this, that you should take a break and stop completely but there was no way you’d leave him alone. He needed you. No matter in what dark place his mind was in the void of the coma, he wouldn’t be alone.

Your dreams were filled with memories of you and him. Epic adventures during Hellfire. Him and you hiding from everyone at the beginning of your secret relationship. The first time he told you he loved you. Introducing him to your parents and dealing with their wrath. Running away together for a week without telling anyone. The first time he truly made you his.

While your dreams made you smile in your sleep, you didn’t notice the squeezing of your hand at first. Your dreams were deep and beautiful, and you didn’t want to wake up to a world where he couldn’t tell you that he loved you.

“Y/N.” Your name was a hoarse whisper in your dreams, and it made you smile even more. You missed him saying your name so damn much.

It took a long moment for you to realize that it hadn’t been in your dreams. Slowly but steadily, you woke, not wanting to leave the memories of him in your dreams but when you opened your eyes, you saw him looking at you.

At first, you thought this was still a dream. His brown, tired eyes were fixed on you, his hand squeezing yours and he was smiling a little. This had to be a dream.

“Y/N,” he said your name again and as soon as it fell from his lips, you knew this was real. Tears shot into your eyes and immediately started to fall. You couldn’t believe it. He was awake after all that time.

“Eddie,” you choked out and jumped out of your chair, hugging him. He let out a huff of pain and you almost pulled back, afraid to hurt him more but he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close to his chest.

“Don’t let go,” he begged with a rough voice, and it must be so hard for him to talk.

“I never did,” you said and buried your face in the crook of his neck, tears straining the pillow behind him.

The way he hugged you told you that it had been the right choice.

As soon as you were able to breathe again and tears stopped, you moved away, looking at his face. He was also crying; his bottom lip wavering and you placed a soft kiss on it.

“I’ll get a doctor. I must call the others. I-” You started babbling and he laughed weakly.

“Calm down,” he said with a soft smile, and you raised an eyebrow at him for a moment before returning the smile. Hearing his voice felt so good, your whole body was warming up and it still felt like a dream.

“I need a doctor to tell me you’re actually awake.” You sighed and placed another kiss on his lips. They moved slowly against yours, as chipped and broken as they were but you didn’t care. You needed his lips on yours. The soft movement of love.

After you pulled away it looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t, so you just smiled at him before leaving, looking for a doctor.

It was the middle of the night, so you had to look for quite some time to find one that was available but as soon as you told them, they immediately went to check up on Eddie. This time, they didn’t let you into the room as three doctors were swarming him, calling it a miracle and all of that.

Bullshit.

Miracles didn’t exist. Eddie was just so strong he got back here all by himself.

Normally you’d call at least his uncle, but he was working at the moment and there was no way to reach him. Your friends would be asleep and could wait until the morning.

Maybe it was a little selfish of you but right now, you wanted it to be you and him, at least for a little while.

The doctors left his room and told you briefly he looked fine, the few tests they did on him were positive and that they would do more in the morning. He’d need a long way of recovery to get back to a normal life but all of that didn’t matter to you now.

He was awake. After months.

When you entered the room again, he smiled at you weakly, and you sat down at your usual spot.

“You should rest,” you told him, looking at his tired eyes but he just shook his head.

“They told me I was in a coma for months. I think I’ve rested enough,” he said, and it made you laugh. Always so stubborn.

“How’s the pain?” you asked but he just shook his head.

“I barely feel anything. They said  it will take at least a day for all of it to come back. Can’t wait for the pain.” He grimaced and you took his hand in yours, placing a kiss to the back of his hand.

“I missed you. So much,” you told him. He just nodded, looking deeply at you. It probably didn’t really hit him yet that he had been gone for so long. It must be so weird for him.

“I know.” He was quiet for a moment. “I…heard everything. Well, maybe not everything but a lot. How you were here every day. How you told me some very embarrassing secrets about yourself. How you talked with Dustin.”

Tears were gathering in your eyes again when he told you what you had hoped. He had known he wasn’t alone all this time. You bit your bottom lip, trying to stop the tears from falling down your cheeks again.

The way he looked at you made you weak and God, you missed this.

“Knowing you were here every day, it made me fight even more. I wanted to come back to you, so badly.” Well, there goes your plan with not crying because those words had you bawling.

He looked at you so softly as he raised his arm, wiping the tears away with his thumb.

“You made it. You’re back,” you whispered between sobs, and he nodded at you. You didn’t even know if you said it to him or more to yourself.

“It’s going to be okay now.”

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

Everyone was so relieved to see him awake and talking, it warmed your heart. The next day you had immediately called his uncle who came by within a couple of minutes, dead tired but just wanting to see his nephew.

Briefly after that you called your friends and they barely fit into the room, bringing him balloons and flowers and all that shit he would normally hate.

Not now.

Now he was just happy to see everyone alive and happy for him. Well, except Max. He asked about her and Lucas took the time to explain. A pained expression was on Eddie’s face afterwards but then he said if he was able to wake up, she would too. You had also explained to him that the cops were not after him anymore, that everything was taken care of.

In the end, not much changed for you. You were still here day and night and didn't want to leave him alone. You were with him through all the treatments and tests he had to go through. He was always so exhausted at night, but you told him you were here for him, watching over him and nothing bad would ever happen to him again.

During the night he would wake you up from time to time. Not on purpose but it was the way his body jerked, how he whimpered and sometimes even screamed. When you finally asked him what all of that was about, he just went quiet for a long time.

“The bats. They follow me in my dreams. They rip me apart again every night,” he admitted, and you felt like crying for him. Of course, the bats. The trauma was sitting deep in his bones and mind, and you weren’t even sure how to handle that.

The next day you bought him a dreamcatcher and tied it above his bed.

“Isn’t that quite superstitious?” he asked you with a raised eyebrow, but you just stuck your tongue out.

“I chose it with love and love will keep the nightmares away, okay?”

In the end, they did. Or he simply started to come to terms with what had happened to him, but he woke you up not as often anymore and you wondered what he was dreaming about instead.

The first time he was able to take a shower he didn’t want you there and it hurt a little.

“You sure? Do you really want me to get an old nurse instead of sexy me to undress you?” you teased, and he groaned as he was sitting at the edge of his bed.

“I just…” He trailed off, running a hand through his greasy hair and you waited for him to finish, your hands on his legs. “I don’t want you to see.”

“See what?” you asked confused, you were quite sure you knew his body quite well at this point in your relationship.

“The scars,” he whispered and then it dawned on you. He was ashamed of all the bitemarks and scratches the bats left behind. It broke your heart to see him like that, thinking that it was something to be ashamed of.

You took his face in your hands and lifted it, so he had to look at you.

“Eddie Munson. I was here the whole time. I saw the bites turn into scars every time the nurses changed the bandages. I saw how infected they were and how they healed. They’re not something you need to hide from me,” you told him with a stern voice, and he smiled slightly at you.

“But they’re ugly and all over me. I hate them, I can’t even look at them,” he admitted before you kissed him, deeply, pouring all your love into it.

“They just prove how brave you were back then. They’re battle scars and that’s pretty metal if you ask me.” You grinned at him and then put your forehead against him. “They prove that you’re a hero. My hero.”

That was enough to make him get up from the bed and accept your help. You walked with him to the small shower in the bathroom, helping him out of the hospital clothes.

When you got a full look at his naked body for the first time, you realized how bad it actually was. Especially his stomach and chests were covered with bites and tiny claw marks but also his legs and arms, even a part of his neck. Scars that would never fade away.

“Don’t look at me like that, please,” he begged, and you noticed how he was watching you run your gaze over him while leaning against the cold tiles, his legs shaking a little.

“What do you mean?” you asked, and he shook his head.

“With pity,” he muttered, and you slightly hit his arm where you knew there were no wounds.

“I’m not looking at you with pity, Munson! I just haven’t seen your naked body in a long time,” you told him with a wink that made him laugh. “Can you stand alone?”

“I can try,” he replied but it was all too wobbly and not safe enough in your opinion.

It was a split second where you decided to get in with him, fully dressed, just holding him, and washing the places he couldn’t reach.

You made sure to touch every single scar on his body, wanting to show him that you weren’t disgusted by them or anything, placing kisses on the ones that you could reach with your mouth while holding him steady.

You weren’t quite sure because of the water pouring down on you but it looked like he was crying. Your heart broke for him, again. You couldn’t express the emotions that were truly inside of you because that would mean you had to explain your love for him and words were not enough for that.

He had been so innocent in all of this and yet, he had suffered the most next to Max. It wasn’t fair and if Vecna showed up again, you’d personally make sure to rip his head off.

“I need to get this covered,” he said as you walked out of the shower, drying him, and then shrugging out of your wet clothes.

You followed his gaze to his arm where he just looked at the bats and you nodded. He was shaking.

While he was asleep after the shower, you already started to draw a new motive, one that would cover it up well enough and had a meaning to you both.

He cried the next day when you showed it to him and you promised him, as soon as he was out of the hospital, you’d find someone to get new ink under his skin.

Recovery was a long and hard road for him. He even admitted that sometimes he just wanted to give up because everything hurt and he couldn’t do this anymore.

Every single time you reassured him that he had been strong enough to pull out of a coma after everything and he would sure as hell be strong enough to get back on his feet.

Even though he didn’t seem to see his own progress, you did. It was better every day. At some point he was even able to play D&D with you at the small table of his room, out of his bed. It was so good to see him as a Dungeon Master again, but you also noticed how he left out monsters he used to love simply because they reminded him of the Upside Down.

Eddie asked you multiple times how Hawkins looked, and it was so hard to explain to him without him being able to see it. You always said that it looked like hell, but you’d figure everything out and he should just focus on his recovery. Everyone would be safe. You needed to convince him as much as you needed to convince yourself with your words.

You knew that he was afraid that things were crawling out of the portals would hurt him again. He was terrified and you understood that; you would be too after everything he had endured. Hell, every normal person would be.

Weeks into his recovery, he started walking on his own again, without help, but wasn’t allowed to leave his room. Dustin had brought his Walkie Talkies so you could talk to each other whenever you went out to run an errand for him. As soon as his appetite had come back, he had been craving different things the hospital wouldn’t let him eat.

Sometimes it was pizza, sometimes just something small like pretzels. The nurses were adamant when it came to his diet, so you were basically smuggling all the different foods into his hospital room. Seeing how he devoured them with the appetite of a teenager during a growth spurt made it all worth it. It was a good sign.

He had been so slim and weak after the coma, him getting his weight and muscles back was such a wonderful thing to see.

When the doctors finally told him he would be released in a week you were ecstatic for him, but he seemed to be bothered by something.

“What’s wrong?” you asked him and tilted your head while he was just looking out of the window as soon as the doctors left.

“My uncle said he lives in a motel for free because he’s working for them after our trailer got ruined.” He sighed and turned to look at you. “I really don’t want to live in a motel.” A frustrated laugh left him, and he shook his head.

“Don’t worry,” you said and put a hand on his cheek. For a moment you pondered how to tell him until you grinned. “You’re going to live with me.”

He frowned at you, clearly confused. “With you?”

You nodded. “I talked to my parents. You can come live with us, your uncle too. They know how much you mean to me, and they also know your uncle is the only family you have left. He still needs some convincing but I’m sure if you ask him then he’ll agree.”

You saw how his brown eyes turned glassy, tears gathering in them.

“I love you so fucking much,” he said and leaned forward, placing a kiss on your lips. “I don’t know how I deserve all of this. Deserve you.”

You felt the little sting in your heart, despite everything that he did for you and the town, he still didn’t believe he deserved any of the good things that were happening to them.

“Because you’re a better man than you think you are,” you breathed against his lips, kissing him again before wrapping your arms around his neck. “And I love you more than anything, so please stop doubting yourself all the time.”

He and uncle moved in with you as soon as he was released from the hospital.

Eddie lived in your room with you, there was no other option you had accepted.

Wayne was offered the big guest room at the end of the hallway, but he chose the small bungalow out in your yard, not wanting to disturb family life too much, just grateful to have a normal roof over his head. He promised to get himself a new trailer as soon as he had the money, but your parents just smiled at that. They would let him live in the bungalow as long as he needed to.

The first night you shared your bedroom with Eddie was also the first night he made you his again. It was slow and full of love, and it made you cry. In the end, you had to take the lead because it was too much for him, but it was all worth it. Just his hands on your naked skin and him inside of you proved how right you had been about staying with him during all those months. He made you feel so alive.

Afterwards you let your fingers run over all his scars again and again like you had done during the last few weeks too. It had been a slow and long process but now he was slowly starting to accept them. They were a part of him and his history and one day, he’d be proud of them, you were sure.

The next day you woke up early to prepare a few things. When you came back to the room, he was still asleep.

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” you whispered into his ear before biting his earlobe softly.

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled and turned away from you, but you just laughed, ruffling his hair a little until he looked at you.

“I’ve got a surprise.” A big grin was on your lips and your words got his attention.

“What is it?” he asked, sitting up and letting out a big yawn while stretching.

“Remember I promised that as soon as you’re out of the hospital, we’re getting those covered?” you nodded at his arm where he wore a bandage around the bats. He kept the bandage on because he couldn’t stand to see the bats. “I found someone, and we can visit them right away.”

His whole face lit up and he basically jumped at you, tackling you to the bed with joy.

During the whole procedure, he didn’t look at his arm once until the tattoo artist told him that it was done. The beautiful new motive was covering the bats and he had to hold back tears, making you emotional too.

“I love it,” he said and smiled at the inked man in front of him before turning to you. “And I love you.”

“I love you too,” you told him.

As you were making your way back to your place, he couldn’t stop staring at it. All the weeks before, he couldn’t even look at his arm and now he couldn’t take his eyes off.

“It’s fucking perfect,” he muttered, and you smiled at him before taking his wrist, making him stop in his tracks.

“No matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you,” you told him, and you didn’t even know why you had the urge to tell him this now. It just felt right. “No matter if Vecna comes back or what the portals are going to do, I’ll always be by your side.”

He smiled widely at you before stepping into your personal space, pulling you into a strong hug. “And I’ll always protect you, no matter what.”

The words were sweet but also hurt at the same time. The last time he protected you and the rest of the gang, he almost died. You couldn’t go through this again.

“Just promise me you won’t leave me behind. The next time I want to stay with you, let me. I don’t want to be separated from you again,” you choked out, a single tear rolling down your cheek.

He winced a little at your words but nodded. You had told him before that you were mad at him for running out of the trailer like that, basically trying to sacrifice his life.

You had told him that there was no shame in running, repeating his words from a lifetime ago.

“We’ll face that fucker together, I promise,” he whispered into the crook of your neck, placing a soft kiss there. “There’s no way I’ll let go of your hand again.”

Your heart skipped a beat, and you couldn’t stop the rest of the tears escaping.

You’d love this man until your last day.

[dekleinekapitein]

Mended a little hole with a flower embroidery.

[reconstructwriter]

Star Wars Fix-it: The Holonet Edition

The well-bribed algorithms of the Holonet should have relegated Tookruta1387’s clip to the tender hearts of a few friends. The days of spontaneous viral posts – without credits to grease the wheels – died not long after the rise of megacorps in the Republic. But the poster was either lucky or savvy enough to play the algorithms because “Jedi Being Cold” exploded. Screens, conversation, even news. And their post was just the start of a trend…

“Jedi Being Cold”: An old transport ship, frost coating the inside of its windows. A corner swathed in a nest of robes. Within three padawans snuggle together, fast asleep. If they were cats they’d be purring. One is purring despite a lack of feline attributes. A hand nudges them with a datastick, only for it to float away to a cloud of similar items.

“Jedi Being Cold” part 2: A snow-covered lake. One knight finishes sculpting a realistic snow tiger. Two others Force push each other like hocky pucks across the ice. One goes flying towards the statue. An expression of ‘oh crap’. Incredible, Force- assisted acrobatics deftly avoids the sculpture but crashes right into the sculptor in a tangle of limbs, sending them skidding into a snow-bank. The third Jedi pokes their head into the many-limbed hole and gets snowballed for the trouble.

“Jedi Stealing Children”: A child at a slave auction. A robed figure swoops in like a hawk, slicing through chains with their lightsaber and ripping apart cages with the Force. The camera pans to one slaver Force shoved into a cage, clearly furious as the Jedi escapes with a whole crowd of people, many children.

“Jedi Stealing Children” becomes the title for 1287 pictures, clips and gifs before someone adjusts the algorithm. This makes them surprisingly hot commodities on the Dark Holo, especially the one with a Nautolan Master dramatically fleeing the capture attempts of a horde of children – ending in one dramatic arm reaching out as kids bury him

“Jedi As Warmongers”: A young Padawan, blood splattered, has a ‘does it get better’ look on their trembling face as they stare up at their Master. The Master is even grimier and gorier as they gather their Padawan up with an ‘I’m sorry but no’. The Padawan weeps and shakes, burying their face in their Master’s robes, who has silent tears down their face. In the background is a war zone.

“Jedi as Warmongers: part 2” Has war holomovie music playing in the background as the snap-thumm of a lightsaber echoes, vivid blue piercing the dark. The blade raises over something, is brought down…over a block of cheese and loaf of bread. The Jedi padawan gleefully declares: “Grilled Cheese for all!” The sound of sprinting footsteps is heard and a dramatic “Noooo,” from a Jedi Knight.

“Jedi as Warmongers: part 3”: The music has switched to aftermath of war horror, the kitchen looks like a cheese atomic bomb hit. The children are cleaning up and one wipes cheese with bread and pops it in their mouth: “grilled cheese for all!” An adult admonishes “You spit that out right now that’s not sanitary.” In the background the Jedi Knight is doing the same thing.

“Jedi Showing Off” Is Yoda’s contribution to this mess – which is just him going through an entire stack of photo-albums on his previous padawans. He opens the last book to Dooku the Padawan when Dooku the Master barges in: “Stop this indignity immediately!” The camera shows an intense close-up of someone’s palm. “Who even taught you how to operate holo-video? –” feed cuts off.

“Jedi Dignity”: Feed resumes from a different perspective as Master Dooku – previous camera still in hand – gives Yoda and several other watching Jedi a lecture on appropriate Holonet-posting behavior. “Not appropriate baby photos are?” Yoda asks, a card-shark’s spread of pictures with Dooku’s baby face. Dooku yanks them out of Yoda’s hands. “Not without m-the person’s permission!” Does a double-take. “Are you filming –?” Horrified glower. “Mace you traitor!” Video abruptly cuts off. Permanently this time.

Not even algorithm adjustments – and there are clearly several – can stop that from becoming viral. “Mace you traitor!” becomes slang for the latest generation. Mace himself rolls with it. Dooku attempts to entomb himself in the archives until this all blows over.

Actions may speak louder than words but memes speak loudest of all.