#hating steve's parents: christmas edition | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

urfavstargirl1 · 2 years

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I'll be Home for Christmas - an e.m. series

Part 2: Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

Summary: Y/N pays a visit to the ghost of Christmas past, in the form of Eddie Munson

Cw: drinking, swearing, Nancy, Robin, and steve makes an appearance, the Hideout, the chaos in the days leading up to christmas, angst, reader takes a chance on herself, second chance romance, best friends to lovers, set in the future, latina!fem!reader

word count: 10.2K

AO3 | Spotify Playlist

a/n: not much to say other than this was a hastily written and edited chapter with way too much soul, (ps. this chapter is influenced by the Smiths songs of the same name)

Part 1

“What the hell man?” I angrily hiss at Alex and my brother who are nonchalantly taking items off the shelves of the baking aisle. I glance at the cart that is already filled with cinnamon, rice flour, brown sugar, limes, cilantro, jalapenos, and various sodas.

“What’d he say?” Alex smiles at me.

“What’d he say? What the hell Alex? You knew he was gonna call me, didn’t you? Was this his and your big plan, to drag me out to the Hideout?,” I frantically ask as he crosses an item off the list and pushes the cart forward, making me follow him.

“Seriously, is this a prank or something? Who else is in on it, huh? First my parents and siblings, now you. What’s next, everyone at grandma’s house?”

“Chill out,” he says while looking at the list.

“Look, it’s up to you if you want to come with us tonight. But, for the record, Eddie wanted me to ask you, but I refused. Told him, if you really want her to go, you’re gonna have to ask her yourself. Now, help me find the masa,” he commands, ignoring my tirade.

My feet are glued to the floor and my body is rigid.

“C’mon,” Alex says as he bends down to check the lower shelves.

I’m not usually this paranoid or irritable. In the courtroom, I am calm and collected, fierce and strong. With my friends, I’m stylish and sophisticated, friendly and sweet. With my family, I’m nothing if not batshit crazy.

I take a deep breath and scan the shelves for masa, the maize dough made of corn we use to make tamales, a savory dish consisting of masa filled with succulent meat and spicy chilis wrapped in a steamed corn husk.

I used to hate eating them every year, but now that I haven’t had them in so long, I’m actually kind of craving them.

I find the masa at the bottom most shelf and put a few bags in the cart.

“Look, we can talk about it more at the house, for now we gotta get everything on the list ‘cause it’s flying off the shelves,” Alex calmly says as he crosses another line on the list.

“Okay,” I huff, already embarrassed at the minor scene I just put on the display.

“You seriously need to relax,” Alex laughs at my state of disarray. “We need to make a stop at the liquor store anyway, so we’ll get a head start on the drinking when we get back.”

“Say no more,” I say exasperatedly. A shot of tequila is just what I need to take the edge off.

As we turn the corner to the next aisle, we almost T-bone my brother who has nothing but candy in his hands. He tosses in the candy canes, chocolates, and gummy candies.

“For the stockings,” he shrugs.

“Uh-huh sure they are,” I cock an eyebrow at him. Even though he’s just a sophomore in college, he’s always been a kid at heart. I guess that’s one of the many perks of being the youngest.

We continue to shop and run amok the busy grocery store, splitting up and coming together again with all the different food items and paper products on the list.

Once everything on the list has been found and we exit the store, my brother insists on racing Alex to the car. Meanwhile, I have to push the heavy ass shopping cart, but it was all worth it to see him slip on some leftover snow. Most of the roads have cleared up, but that didn’t save my brother from tripping and falling flat on his face.

“Fuck,” my brother screams loudly, garnering the attention of a few bystanders. Some gasp in shock while Alex and I burst out laughing. From a few cars away, I see Alex help him up. My brother nods to something Alex said and smiles.

By the time I reach them, I ask if he’s okay to which he says yes. Alex and I tease him the entire way to the car and even while we load the groceries into the back.

“Shut up, it wasn’t that funny,” my brother playfully scolds.

“You should’ve seen yourself. You slipped and fell like a Looney Tunes character or something.”

We laugh about it in the car some more as we head over to the liquor store.

“Close your eyes, it’s illegal for you to be here,” I tease as I wrap one arm around my brother's shoulders and place the other hand over his eyes.

He shakes my hands away and rolls his eyes. “Relax, I literally turn 21 in four months.”

“Bet that doesn’t stop you from having fun at the University of Michigan,” Alex teases. “Rumor has it you almost died getting your stomach pumped your first semester.”

My brother's skin turns white and his eyes widen. He shivers at the memory and shakes his head. “We don’t talk about that day. I almost never wanted to drink again”

Alex and I laugh as we grab a cart and fill it with the obligatory tequila and beer.

Once all of the errands have been run, we return to my grandma’s house. The men in the living room are shouting at the football game and the women in the kitchen are gossiping over the stove.

The sight of peak gender roles would normally spark a rage in me, but right now, it’s more comforting than anything. Home for the holidays as I’ve always known it.

Just as long as they don’t make me do anything in the kitchen though, then we’ll be good.

As we transfer the groceries to the dining room table, the ladies in the kitchen start unpacking them. I run over to the living room to chastise the men into helping too. Solving the centuries long conundrum of machismo a little bit at a time.

They come help unpack the groceries and get the bright idea to start pouring the tequila shots. It’s only 2:00 but we’re on holiday time now.

Multiple arms are flying across the kitchen to simultaneously put food away and distribute tequila shot ingredients.

Alex passes me the salt shaker first. I lick my hand and pour salt over it and pass it to the next person. Someone else hands me a lime and then a shot glass filled with the clear liquid.

I look at some of my younger cousins around us who have plastic cups filled with juice to join the festivities.

We all quiet down so my mom can give a small toast. She repeats it again but in Spanish and then we all raise our shot glass and shout “Salud”, the Spanish word for cheers.

I lick the salt off my hand, take the shot and instantly scrunch my face. I bring the quartered lime to my lips and suck, chasing the bitter flavor.

“All these years and you still can’t take a shot like a champ,” Alex whispers.

“Fuck you,” I hiss and smile. I weasel my way into the kitchen and sneak a bunuelo, a sweet dessert consisting of a flat piece of dough fried crispy golden brown and topped with cinnamon and sugar.

The house starts to feel hot with so many people and the kitchen appliances I’m sure have been running nonstop all morning, so I go outside to the backyard for some fresh air. Alex follows me and I’m instantly reminded of our conversation in the grocery store earlier. For a second, I actually forgot about it.

We sit down on the patio furniture by my grandmother's garden and clothesline.

“So what’s the deal with you and Eddie,” Alex asks as he takes a bite out of his own bunuelo that he managed to sneak out. They’re making so many, I doubt they noticed a few were gone. I frown at the sugar crystals that fall onto his jacket.

“What’s the deal with me and Eddie? What’s the deal with you and Eddie?”

“I asked you first,” he says nonchalantly before taking another bite.

I shake my head and shrug, “What do you wanna know? I mean, it sounds like Eddie’s already told you a lot.”

“Yeah, but I wanna know your side of the story.”

I press my lips together and without thinking, sigh in relief. No one’s ever asked me that before.

“What’s to tell? I mean, he was just some guy I dated in high school,” I say, but the words feel bitter and false as they leave my tongue, making me scrunch my face like I had when I took the tequila shot earlier.

“Doesn’t sound that way. Doesn’t look like it either,” he replies, jutting his chin out at me. I look down and realize my shoulders are hunched over and my arms and legs are tightly crossed. I subconsciously uncross them.

I shrug. “It’s… complicated.”

“That’s fine. I can handle complicated,” he calmly states with a small encouraging smile.

I take a deep breath and look down at my lap. I reluctantly take a bit of my bunuelo and let the sweet fragrant cinnamon sugar disseminate on my tastebuds.

“I, uh, I have a lot of history with Eddie.”

“Alright, so where does the story begin?”

“Um, high school. Sophomore year. We were in the same health class. In all honesty, that’s probably the only way I could have ever met him, you know. A state mandated class everyone had to take,” I laugh nervously.

“But um, I got to class first, and he got there late and the only place to sit was in the seat next to mine. And… you know the first thing he said to me?

He arrived right as the teacher started talking. And after a few minutes she had us start some bullshit assignment, as they always do, and Eddie whispered, ‘Hey, can I borrow a pencil?’ and so I’m thinking, ugh, here's some loser who’s late to class and doesn’t even have a pencil. But whatever, I’ll lend him a pencil and be done with him.

So I reach into my backpack and pull out a spare pencil. I say sure and am about to offer it to him when I look up at him. It’s the first time I ever really looked at him. A real square in the eyes kind of look, and my stomach dropped. I had no idea why.

Here was this weird kid with buzzed hair who was suddenly making me nervous. I instantly hated him for it. So just as he’s about to grab it, I pull my hand back and say, ‘Only if you can give me a good reason why you should’.

And then he said, ‘Oh sweetheart, I can give you plenty.’

So I said, ‘Okay, let’s hear ‘em.’

Then he asked, ‘Do you smoke?’

To which I replied ‘No’

So he goes, ‘Well, I can get you a good discount on… wait, you don’t smoke?’

So of course I had to tell him ‘No, it’s not really my thing’

And then he started struggling to come up with something to offer me in return. He ended up digging through his very empty backpack searching for something. And you know what he ended up bartering for my stupid pencil? His most prized possession: Black Sabbath’s Paranoid album on cassette.

He had brought it to show off to his friends or something, but insisted it was the only thing of value he had on him.

At the time, I didn’t listen to anything like that so I basically told him I didn’t want it. But then he reversed the trade on me and said he’ll loan me the tape. He said I had to listen to it all the way through and if I still didn’t like it, then I could give it back to him and he’d come up with something better tomorrow, but if not, I could keep it.

In the moment, it felt stupid, but fifteen year old me decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. So later that night, I listened to the album all the way through, just like he said. I’d never heard anything like it. It was the first time I’d ever fallen in love. Eddie was the one that made me fall in love with music.”

“Eddie never told me that story,” Alex laughs and I smile at the memory.

“Yeah, Eddie kind of snuck into my life that way. We got really close that year and practically inseparable the year after. By the time senior year rolled around, we’d both fallen head over heels for each other.

But, you know my parents. I mean, now, it’s all ‘when are we having grandkids’, but back then it was, no dating, no boys that are friends, and practically breathing around a boy was barely allowed. And being the oldest, they were always the strictest on me.”

“But you still dated him?”

“Yeah,” I smile, “His Uncle Wayne was cool with it, so it was really just my parents we had to worry about. Anytime we hung out I always said I was with a girl friend.

We got away with it pretty easily when we were just friends, but once we started dating, we were going out more often, staying out longer, and getting home later.

We had a few close calls in the beginning, but like most teenagers in love, we thought we were invincible. After a while, the close calls started becoming more frequent till one day, we finally got caught.”

“So what happened?”

I gulp and look down at my lap. It was easy to talk about the good stuff. To look back on the fond memories I had of Eddie. What my cousin is asking of me, I’d rather not relive.

“My parents were so mad. I almost thought they were going to have a heart attack. They wanted to kick me out of the house. They wanted to call the cops on Eddie. Ironically enough, there were plenty of reasons for the neighbors to call the cops on us. Domestic disturbance and all, but no one ever did.

But anyway, my parents wanted nothing to do with me.

Their perfect daughter became the perfect disappointment. And as much as I hate to say it, if it weren’t for my siblings, I don’t know where I’d be. They were the ones to calm my parents down and convince them to let me stay.”

“Man, that’s fucked up.”

I shrug, “Yeah, I… It was hard. But it made things easier for my siblings, in terms of dating, so at least something sort of good came of it.”

Alex and nods and contemplates my words. I start feeling nervous about all that I’ve just shared, so I change the subject on him.

“So how did you and Eddie become friends?”

Alex goes on to tell me how him and Eddie were the new guys at the garage for a while. And since they were the youngest, they naturally had more in common than with any of their other coworkers.

They would go to car shows around the state, check out local bands, and go to bars together. Since Alex was new to Hawkins, Eddie introduced him to his friends and became part of their friend group.

“If you come tonight, you can meet them all. They went to Hawkins High too.”

I consider his offer. I consider it for the next couple of hours as we talk about Eddie between holiday family duties.

It’s like I can’t help myself. I want to know everything. I didn’t realize how much I felt like I missed out on his life and I want so desperately to catch up, even if I don’t have any intentions of still being a part of it. The curiosity gets the better of me.

And somehow, explaining all of it to him is like breathing air. I didn’t realize how understanding he would be or how easy it would be to talk to him about it all.

I almost felt bad for taking up all the time just talking about myself and my past relationship with a boy, or maybe a man now, that I hardly even know anymore. But he never made me feel guilty about anything I had to share.

And in an odd way, Eddie has become the bridge between us. Even though I wasn’t particularly close with Alex growing up, I’m surprised to learn just how much more we have in common now than we ever did as kids.

“Yeah, I mean you guys are both good kids. I’m sure whatever’s going on, you’ll find a way to deal with it.”

For the remainder of the day, I end up hanging out in the living room or running off to help in the kitchen. At different points in the day, other family members show up. We switch between playing card games, sharing family gossip, and commenting on whatever’s on tv.

Somehow, it ends up being some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. I didn’t realize how smart or interesting or funny my family is.

Have they always been like this? In brief moments through it all, I feel a tinge of guilt for constantly looking down on them, on this town. Maybe it’s not so bad here after all.

It’s not so bad when you have good times, for a change.

Around 7:00 the tamales are ready and we start eating dinner.

My siblings, Alex, and I get stuck at the kids table, as per usual. My siblings discuss their plans for the night and Alex explains my tentative acceptance to his offer.

“Just go Y/N, you know you want to.”

Of course I want to. I want to see Eddie, but does he even want to see me? After everything that happened?

“You’ll regret it if you don’t go,” my sister says and I know she's right, but somehow it still feels wrong.

“Let’s just go. I promise, if you want to leave at any moment for any reason, I’ll take you back home. No questions asked,” Alex offers.

My siblings look at me expectantly. I avoid their gaze by looking down as my plate and messing with the empty corn husks.

“Fine,” I grumble. My siblings and Alex cheer aloud, catching the attention of the adults in the next room.

As the clock ticks closer to 9:00, I attempt to nonchalantly let my mom know that I’m going out with Alex and a few of his friends. I pray to God she doesn’t know that Eddie is one of them.

She smiles at me endearingly and tells me that she’s glad I’m going out, that she wants me to have fun.

I feel a sharp pang in my chest at these words because she’s never wanted me to have fun. Why now?

Alex and I walk out the door and into the cold crisp night. We pile into his truck and head out to the bar. He tries to give me a pep talk on the way there, but I’m too distracted, wondering what’s going to happen next.

What will he look like? On the phone, he still sounded the same. Will he be excited to see me? Will I be excited to see him? What will his friends be like? Do they know about me?

We get to the Hideout and make a beeline toward the bar. The place is just like Eddie said. It’s filled with bright colorful lights, tinsel and ornaments galore, and booming with loud Christmas music. The stage is set up with amps and equipment, but no one’s there.

Turns out none of Eddie’s friends are here yet either. Alex and I order our drinks and talk. My cranberry Christmas cocktail isn’t half bad. I keep taking nervous sips to avoid having to say anything and am soon on my second drink.

Slowly, the churning in my stomach goes away as I consume more of the drink. But I can’t help looking at the main entrance and eyeing other patrons.

“Relax, he’s gonna show up.”

I swallow the tiny remainder of saliva and pride down my throat. God, I’m a grown ass woman, why am I feeling like a nervous sixteen year old?

And then I see Alex smile and nod at someone behind me. Oh no. It’s time.

“Steve! Nancy! Over here,” Alex waves.

I look over and see a young man and woman sauntering over to us. I sigh in relief.

Alex greets them and introduces them to me. We make small talk as some of the band members enter the stage.

A woman with cropped blonde hair, in a bob that reaches her chin sits at the drumset. She pulls out drumsticks and tests the instruments.

“Oh, look, it's Robin! Robin!,” Nancy exclaims loudly and waves over to the blonde girl. The girl makes eye contact with Nancy and smiles.

A tall man with dark brown skin and a flat top haircut enters the stage and sets up his guitar. Another man, who is noticeably shorter but with much longer hair joins in and tunes his bass guitar.

Where’s Eddie?

The nervous churning in my stomach starts ramping up as the clock keeps ticking and Eddie is nowhere to be found. For a second, I think I can distract myself with the chit chat from Alex and his friends, but I know nothing about them so it’s all hard to follow.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I declare. Alex is the only one that acknowledges me. He raises an eyebrow at me and I nervously smile before turning on my heel and making a beeline for the restroom.

Just like any other dingey bar bathroom, there’s pictures and posters and crayon markings? The walls are plastered with them.

I stand in front of the sink and grab ahold of it. I look at my reflection for a moment before closing my eyes and breathing in deeply.

What if I just left? What if I just got out of here and never had to–

“Ladies and Gentlemen, The Hideout presents a Hawkins favorite, the new and improved, Corroded Coffin!” A voice announces from outside the bathroom walls.

The crowd cheers and a charismatic voice announces into the mic, “What’s up Hawkins, how we doing tonight?”

The crowd goes wild. Oh God.

“We’re gonna get this Christmas party started, but with a little twist,” the same voice adds.

There’s muffled noise before the sound of live instruments disseminates through the building.

Here goes.

I slowly make my way out of the bathroom and weave through the crowd, making it my mission to find my cousin and his friends who are leaning against the bar.

“There you are! Almost thought you got stuck on the toilet or something,” Alex yells into my ear. I shove him lightly and smile.

And then I turn my head forward and see him. It’s Eddie. My Eddie.

He’s wearing ripped black jeans with their signature chain and a black sleeveless shirt. It must be to show off all his new tattoos because otherwise only an insane person would wear something like that in the cold.

But they really do draw the eye. His pale arms are now covered in tattoos. Practically full sleeves.

I let my eyes travel upward and land on his hair. His beautiful, beautiful hair. It’s still long and shaggy, but not the wannabe Kirk Hammett way I last remembered. It’s sort of like a poofy mullet in an Uncle Jesse from Full House kind of way. It’s undeniably hot.

My eyes settle on his face. He has earrings now and a lip ring too.

I look into those familiar brown eyes, which are staring right back into mine. He sees me and he smiles. I nervously smile back and shyly wave.

He closes his eyes and pulls the mic closer to his lips. You would’ve thought that microphone was a person and he was going in for a kiss the way he does it so seductively. It makes my heart feel

Eddie Munson, once a weird boy with a buzzcut, is now a confident man who’s an absolute rock god.

It makes something stir in my heart. I love seeing him like this. It’s just like I always imagined. But it also brings in this deep wave of regret. It makes me realize how much I missed all these years being away.

I wish I could take it all back. I wish I could turn back time. Maybe things would’ve been different.

I’m so lost in thought that the audience applauding when the song ends is the only thing to snap me out of it. I clap, but I have no idea what song they just played or how any of it sounded. All I noticed was Eddie.

“Looks like we have a special guest in the crowd tonight,” Eddie exclaims into the mike and I can feel the blood drain from my face.

“This next song is dedicated to her,” He says as he smirks at me. I can feel my cousin look at me, but I can’t take my eyes off Eddie. The way his fingers wrap around the fret of the guitar. Or the way his strong arms hold the precious instrument.

And then he starts strumming, and I instantly recognize the melody. The other guitar player and bass player join in and the girl on drums starts adding to the beat.

“Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away,” Eddie closes his eyes and wails into the mic.

“This year, to save me from tears, I’ll give it to someone special,” he sings as he opens his eyes and winks at me.

If it weren’t for the darkness of the bar, I’m sure everyone would be able to see the raging blush on my cheeks.

“Once bitten and twice shy, I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye. Tell me baby, do you recognize me? Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me,” he sings.

His voice is just as beautiful as I remembered. It takes me back to the nights he’d sing me Black Sabbath in the back of his van, or hum Metallica at his uncle’s trailer.

“Happy Christmas, I wrapped it up and sent it, with a note saying "I love you", I meant it. Now I know what a fool I've been, but if you kissed me now, I know you'd fool me again,” his lips purse before the head of the microphone.

Between each verse and chorus, the members of the band absolutely shred, perfectly turning what originated as a perfectly pop song into a heady, sentimental, rock song.

The band plays the rest of the song, and as they finish, I end up being the loudest one in the room, clapping and cheering them on. Eddie blushes and smiles at me. I even accidentally look at the guy on bass, who looks back at me a little too devilishly for my liking.

It ends up making me drop the smile from my face and subconsciously scoot closer to Alex.

Corroded Coffin play a few more songs, mostly metal sounding renditions of popular Christmas songs, before Eddie closes out the set and the audience cheers for them all.

I wolf whistle, earning his attention and he smiles and shakes his head. The band gathers their instruments and slowly get off the stage.

“That was incredible! After all these years, Eddie still has it,” I smile sheepishly at Alex.

“They were so good! Robin was the perfect addition to Corroded Coffin,” Nancy squeals and pats Steve’s chest.

“I kept telling her. Eddie said they needed a new drummer when Gareth left for college and she was the only other musical genius I knew,” Steve says.

“Did she even play percussion in band?” Nancy asks.

“Nah, but it didn’t even take her that long to learn. According to her, learning another instrument is like learning another language. Whatever that means,” Steve shrugs.

I smile and laugh at his statement when the strong scent of cigarette smoke and cologne fills my nose. I turn my head to the source and find the bass player standing right in front of me.

“Hey there,” he gruffly says with a smile, displaying lines around his mouth.

“Hi,” I reply questioningly, looking around to make sure he’s actually talking to me and not someone nearby.

“I saw you out in the crowd earlier. A pretty thing like you is hard to ignore,” He smiles and leans forward, making me lean back.

I nervously laugh, not knowing what to say back.

“Is this your first time here? I swear, I’d remember if a girl like you ever came around.”

“Um,” I look over at Alex, Steve, and Nancy who are too engrossed in conversation with the tall boy on guitar and the drummer who I guess must be a Robin, a mutual friend of all of theirs that I've never even met.

“It’s been a while,” I nervously reply.

“What brings you to our neck of the woods?” He asks, outstretching his arm and holding onto the part of the bar that’s a little too close to my arm for my liking.

“Uh,” I look over at Alex who has finally noticed my plea for help.

“Watch out Simmons. That’s my cousin you’re hitting on,” Alex says as he greets the strange man. They do that handshake to hug thing guys always do.

“Alex buddy, c’mon, why didn’t you tell me you had such a hot cousin,” the man asks as he moves his hands outward.

“Because hot and cousin should never be in the same sentence,” Alex jokingly punches him in the arm.

I laugh nervously and scan the room, but he’s nowhere to be found. The stage is clear and all his bandmates are here. C’mon Eddie, where are you?

“Tell me baby, what are you drinking,” the creepy bass player asks me.

“Um,” I look from him to Alex and back to my empty glass on the bar.

“Hey bartender,” Bass Boy barks to the older man behind the bar. “Give the lady whatever she likes, on me.”

“Oh, no, that’s really not nec–”

“Y/N?”

I turn over my shoulder, in the direction of the voice that called my name. There’s a sea of people, but only one Eddie Munson trying to weave his way through them.

“Eddie?”

And then without thinking, my body lurches forward and once he’s in arms reach, I wrap my arms around him. His body is warm against mine. I’m surprised to feel more muscles under my fingertips, but he still smells just like cigarettes and Irish Spring soap.

He hugs me back just as tightly. I fit in his arms perfectly, and for a moment, the world stops. The earth stops spinning on its axis. At this moment, it’s just us. No one else. Just me and Eddie, like no time has passed at all.

It feels so good. It feels so right to be back in his arms like this.

But then, the moment ends and he’s the first one to pull away, but only enough to still hold me at an arm's length distance.

“It’s you, I can’t believe it’s you,” he exclaims with wild eyes.

“I know! I can’t believe it’s you either,” I reply, still holding onto him too, like an anchor. As if letting go of his arms could mean letting him go metaphorically too. Can’t have that happen again.

“Munson,” someone whistles. We both turn to look at Bass Boy, Alex, and the rest of the gang gawking at us.

Eddie brings an arm around my mid back and ushers me over to the group.

“Great set by the way,” I whisper to him as we make our way over.

“You liked it?” Eddie smiles.

I nod and smile sheepishly, “Yeah, of course I did. You played our song. I loved it.”

“Good. I was worried it was either gonna be really cool or really corny,” he says and I laugh as we reach the group.

“Hey man,” Bass Boy says to Eddie, smiling, but the rest of his face is scrunched in anger.

“Hey Jim, this is Y/N,” Eddie introduces me.

“Yeah, looks like we got a head start on the introductions Eddie,” I smile at him and wink at Jim, the creepy bass player.

Jim nervously laughs and shakes his head, “So, uh, remind me how you two know each other?”

Eddie and I look at each other and smile which turns into giggling.

“We, uh, we go way back,” Eddie smiles at me and nods before looking back at Jim.

I shyly look at Jim and decide it’s only right to bust his balls a little bit more.

“Hey Jim, can I still take you up on that free drink?” I ask in a sweet innocent voice.

“Um…” Jim looks nervously from me to Eddie. I look over to Eddie and he’s rolling his eyes, turning into a fit of laughter.

“C’mon man, you really offered to buy my girl a drink,” Eddie teases him.

“I didn’t know she was your girl man,” Jim huffs and crosses his arms.

Now, technically, I’m not Eddie’s girl, at least not in the way one might assume from hearing that phrase, but god does it sound so good to hear them all calling me Eddie’s girl.

“But he did learn I was Alex’s hot cousin. Didn’t you Jim,” I smirk at him and wink. Eddie bursts out laughing. He leans into me and I wrap my arm around his back to help prop him up.

“Hot cousin. Oh god Jim, c’mon man. The least you can do is buy her the drink, for her troubles,” Eddie laughs.

I bat my eyelashes at Jim and smile innocently. “Pretty please?”

“Whatever,” he grumbles. I order my drink and Jim actually sticks to his word and pays for the drink. When he leaves, I take a sip and ask Eddie if he wants one too.

“Hell yeah! Free drinks always taste better.”

I laugh and smile at him. He hasn’t changed a bit.

“I can’t believe how long it’s been. I mean, just look at your hair? Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but it’s just so different from the last time I saw you. What happened to looking like a wanna be Kirk Hammett?”

“How dare you suggest I’m not still a wanna be Kirk Hammet?”

I take him in and he looks broader, stronger. Eddie’s never been the type to work out, but maybe after fixing cars all day, it’s had an effect on his body.

And even in the way he smiles, there’s almost a glow to his features that I haven’t seen in a really long time. I’m glad it’s still there.

I laugh, before telling him in an earnest way, “You look good Munson.”

He returns the same look and says, “You look good too, sweetheart.”

The moment lasts for so long before he clears his throat.

“I hope you don’t mind, but uh, I brought some friends with me,” Eddie says as he ushers me closer to the group.

Eddie moves aside and the girl on drums smiles at us.

“Hi, I’m Robin,” She greets cheerfully.

“I’m Y/N, it’s nice to meet you,” I nervously smile.

“Oh, so this is the legendary Y/N we’ve heard so much about,” Robin comments and I can feel myself turn ghost white.

“You probably don’t recognize me or Steve or Nancy for that matter, but we all went to Hawkins High too.”

“Class of ‘85,” Steve smiles.

“‘86,” Nancy, Robin, and Eddie say in unison.

“You’re right,” I laugh, “You were all juniors and sophomores when I graduated in ‘84. Although I think I remember Steve. Even though he was a grade below us when I met Eddie, I distinctly remember hearing about some kid with the hair all the girls in the grade below us would fawn over.”

“Guilty as charged,” Steve blushes as Nancy brings a hand up and musses with it.

We smile and laugh as Steve cringes out of her touch and moves his hands up to fix his hair.

“Well, I say we propose a toast,” Eddie says and I look at him in confusion.

“You don’t even have a drink Eddie.”

“I’ll just share yours,” he shrugs as if that were the most obvious thing ever.

“Tonight we celebrate the homecoming of our New York superstars Y/N and Nancy, who have graced us with their presence this holiday season,” he says in that silly albeit formal voice he used to always use for D&D campaigns.

Nancy and I look at each other and in the same breath say, “You’re from New York too?”

“Yeah, I went to Sarah Lawrence and fell in love with the city! I’ve been doing internships at different publishing agencies across the city since, but my dream is to be a reporter for the New York Times.”

“No way! I actually have a friend that works at the Times. I could always put in a good word for you if you like.”

Nancy looks starstruck. “Oh my god, that would just be perfect. Are you a journalist too?”

“No, um, I’m a,” I nervously say and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m a lawyer, actually. But, my roommate in undergrad was a journalism major. She’s the one who works at the Times. Now that we live in the same city again we try to get coffee once a month. Maybe you can join us sometime.”

“Yes! That would be a dream come true,” Nancy exclaims with a twinkle in her eye.

Robin and Steve look at each other and they make this offputting face. Like they hear us and comprehend the words we’re saying, but because they can’t relate in any way shape or form, they don’t really understand.

“So how long have you been living in the city,” Nancy asks, completely unaware of the look that just transpired between Steve and Robin.

“Um, for the past two years. After law school, I passed the bar and made the move to work at a law firm there.”

“Holy shit,” Nancy and Steve say in unison.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Eddie looking at me in awe. The newfound spotlight put on me makes me want to run out of here.

“Shit,” Eddie claps a hand on my shoulder and I flinch from surprise.

“Finally put all that stubbornness and fierceness to good use huh? I heard you’d done it all, but goddamn, it’s something else to hear it from you. You really went out and did everything you said you would.”

I look at Eddie and see the amazement and pride in his eyes. For a moment, I feel like I’m too big, bigger than everyone else here. I want to make myself smaller.

But it’s only when Eddie looks at me, like he’s looking at a movie star or an angel sent from heaven, that it goes away. Like nothing else matters. Because if Eddie Munson is proud of me, then I must be doing something right.

“Guys, this girl right here was one tough cookie. She could talk her way out of practically anything. Forget bullies or hardass teachers. She was a fighter, that one.”

I look at him and I could cry. To hear myself be described in this way, is endearing but it’s not the whole truth. I was a fighter, but not in the moment it mattered most.

“Thanks, haha, but um, enough about me. How do you all know Eddie?”

“That’s a long story,” Steve chuckles as he runs a hand through his stupid hair.

“So I've heard,” I reply, slightly annoyed that none of his friends will explain to me how they know each other.

“Let’s just say we were all at completely different corners of the high school cafeteria who somehow managed to find each other,” Nancy adds. The four of them all smirk like they’re in on some inside joke. It infuriates me.

The rest of the evening, I try to fit in with their group but find myself feeling like an outsider looking in. Even my cousin has managed to seamlessly incorporate himself into their friend group. Which is good for him, but inconvenient for me.

All throughout the night, I find my eyes drawn to Eddie, like I’m some compass and he’s the goddamn North Star. I distract myself with sips of my drink and busying myself with getting a refill.

I scan the wood planked interior with neon signs and coca cola decorations scattered about. The scent of tobacco and haze of cigarette smoke fills the air. Patrons select songs on the jukebox, but a certain one won’t stop playing Don’t Stop Believin by Journey and it’s starting to make me hate the song.

“This old place hasn’t changed a bit,” Eddie comments to me while the rest of the gang are concentrated on a game of pool. Steve is waiting for his turn while Nancy strategically positions herself for her next move.

“No, not really,” I neutrally say. “They even have the same band that’s been playing since 1984.”

“Yeah, I heard they had to replace a few players though, just never sounded the same since.”

“You think so?”

“After Gareth and Jeff left for college, I tried to find a few replacement players, but no one wanted in. Corroded Coffin actually went on hiatus for a little while.”

“What? Oh Eddie,” I place a hand on his bicep. He looks down at my hand then up at my eyes.

“I can’t believe that happened. That really sucks. I know how much it meant to you.”

“It’s okay. I ended up finding some new people who really kick ass, so it was worth the wait.”

“Even if some of those players are super skeezy,” I look over at Jim who’s cornered some poor girl at the bar.

“Sorry about Jim. He just got out of a relationship so he’s been really… on the prowl lately.”

“He was so creepy Eddie.”

“Yeah, I’ll talk to him. He’s a beast at bass though. Got a lot of energy. Just doesn’t know how to channel it sometimes.”

I nod, understandingly. “So things are all good with the band now?”

“Yeah, they are now. Back at home base, just having a good time.”

“That’s good. I’m really happy for you Eddie.” I say, and I mean it.

“Thanks. You know I could never give up guitar though. Whether I’m playing alone or with a full band by my side, the day I stop playing is the day I die.”

I laugh at his theatrics.

“Seriously, I’ll never stop. Even after you left, I couldn’t stop playing those stupid songs by The Smiths you always liked.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he nervously fidgets with the rings on his fingers.

“I always liked hearing you play. Even when your uncle complained about the noise because he had to get some shut eye before his next shift.”

“God, I forgot about that. I was such a little shit back then.”

“Back then?”

Eddie laughs and I smile at him.

“How has Wayne been?”

Eddie’s eyes widen. “Oh yeah, Uncle Wayne’s doing alright. A lot better, now.”

“Now?”

“Yeah, the doctors found a hernia in him about a year or two ago.”

“What? Is he okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, he had to get surgery but he’s fine now. He’ll be retiring in a few years so that’s kinda been his saving grace.”

“Aw, that’s great. Your Uncle Wayne’s always been a good man.”

“Yeah, you’re not the only lady who thinks so.”

I wrinkle my nose, “What?”

“He’s got a girlfriend now.”

My eyes widen and I nearly spit out some of my drink, “Shut up!”

Eddie nods and chuckles.

“No fucking way!”

“Yup. They’ve been together since the hernia stuff happened.”

“Wow, way to go Uncle Wayne. How’d they meet?”

“She was one of his nurses.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet. Do you like her?”

“Yeah, she’s a good woman. I can tell she makes my uncle happy.”

“That’s good. I’m glad things really turned around, for the both of you.”

Eddie nods with a pained look on his face. Oh no, did I say the wrong thing?

“What about you, how’s the old parental unit?”

“Um, they’re doing alright. Been taking care of the restaurant while my siblings and I all go off and do our own things. Once my brother graduates, they’re looking to get an RV and travel the country or whatever. Typical middle-age shenanigans.”

“Nice,” he laughs. “You know, sometimes I still go out to the restaurant. Usually with Alex. He’s a pretty good buffer. After all this time, the food never dispapoints.”

My heart stops for a moment and I grab him by the arm. “You… You still go to my parents restaurant?”

“Yeah.”

“Do they… you know, see you?”

“Yes, they see me,” he laughs, “It’s kind of hard not to.”

I gulp. “Do they ever… say anything?”

“Nah. They’re cool. Eddie, the customer, they like. Eddie, the former love of their daughter's life, not so much.”

I tighten my grip on his arm to anchor myself. I think I might faint.

“How’re your siblings doing?”

To my luck, the change in subject subsides the bubbling wave of anxiety about to crash on me.

“Oh, they… They’re doing good. My brother’s still in undergrad and my sister’s in grad school.”

“Wow,” Eddie nods, but he looks at me like he understands, even though he can’t relate at all.

“What are they studying?”

“My brother’s doing business and my sister wants to do aerospace engineering. She got a little too obsessed with Top Gun if you know what I mean,” I snort and Eddie laughs.

“I swear, you three are every parents wet dream.”

I shrug, “Yeah, we are aren’t we?”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Eddie reassures me.

“Yeah, I know. It’s just… you know how my parents were. It wasn’t just me who got pressured into having a lucrative, stable job.”

Eddie reaches outward and grabs my hand, “Yeah, I know.”

I look at our intertwined limbs and frown. Accidentally admitting a shameful truth feels weird, but just like when we were kids, he’s the only one that’s ever understood how I felt.

“They’re proud as hell, you know. Got tons of pictures of you at the restaurant. Sort of looks like a shrine actually, with a candle and everything.”

I laugh and roll my eyes, “Ugh I know. I’ve been trying to tell them to take it down but they won’t listen.”

We laugh in unison, but when we stop and catch our breath, something overcomes me and I feel compelled to be a little too real with him.

“You know, sometimes I think they’re just relieved I got my degree and haven’t gotten pregnant. I think that’s all they really wanted from me. I don’t think they really cared what else I do.”

“What? I’m sure that’s not true.”

“Um, you’re right, it’s not true anymore. Now that I’m the same age my mom was when she had me, all she can talk about is how much she wants grandkids.”

“What?” Eddie snorts.

“Yes! She went from, sex is a forbidden act of the devil to an absolute necessity we will incessantly encourage you to have.”

Eddie chokes at my words. “That is… mental.”

“Yeah, I finally got to the point where I’m comfortable with sex, but kids, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for that.”

Eddie blinks and lets go of my hand, “Yeah, um, I’m sure your boyfriend probably appreciates that.”

“My ex, um, yeah, I wasn’t afraid anymore with him, but that’s all in the past.”

“Oh,” Eddie replies. The clanking of pool balls catches our attention.

“What about you? I bet your, uh, girlfriend probably loves watching you perform live.”

“Yeah, uh, she did, before she dumped me and skipped town to Indianapolis.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” he shakes his head. “Like you said, it’s all in the past.”

And then he grabs my hand again and looks at me. I look back at him and without saying a word, his eyes tell me something.

They say to me: those relationships might be in the past, but ours doesn’t have to be.

“Hey uh, I know this might be kind of weird, but uh, do you maybe want to get out of here?” Eddie asks me.

I look over to Eddie’s friends and Alex who’s sitting at the bar with some girl.

I don’t know what to do. Instinctively my body screams yes, I want to be alone with you Eddie, but the angel on my shoulder says it would be wrong.

“Um, let me just check in with my cousin real quick.”

I make a beeline over to my cousin before Eddie can say something.

“Hi, sorry to interrupt, but Alex, uh, sidebar?”

“Side what?”

“I need to ask you something.”

The girl looks at me irritatedly. “Sorry, he’s my cousin, we’re here with mutual friends, this’ll take thirty seconds.”

“Make this quick Y/N,” Alex commands with raised eyebrows.

“Eddie asked me if I wanted to get out of here!”

“Ok then, what are you still doing here? Talking to me?”

“Because I’m…What? I can’t go!”

“Why not?”

“Because… because… it…”

“Do you not want to?”

“I-I… It’s not that I don’t want to…”

“Y/N it's a simple yes or no question, do you want to go with him?”

I inhale deeply, “Yes.”

“Okay, then, it's as simple as that.”

“No, it's not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“Because, because… what if my parents find out? What if I get in trouble again?”

“Y/N, you can’t be serious. This isn’t 1984. You have a masters degree and you’re still afraid of your parents?”

“Well… I also need to get home and be there for them and grandma and everyone.”

“Y/N, we literally spent all day with them, what more could they want from you? You’re an adult. You can do what you want. This is your life to live. You’ll literally be fine. Now c’mon, go home with Eddie,” Alex gently nudges me away.

“Everything okay,” Steve asks as I approach the table.

“Oh, um, yeah. I was just telling Alex that I’m ready to head out, but he’s gonna stay here for a bit longer, so I’m gonna head out with Eddie.”

I look over at Eddie and he smiles shyly

I nod, physically aware of several sets of eyes on me.

“Ok,” Eddie says as he sets his drink down and straightens his jacket. ‘Let’s get going then.”

I nod and move over to give everyone a hug goodbye. “It was really nice meeting you all. Nancy, ask Eddie for my number and give me a call when you’re in New York.”

Once Eddie has said goodbye to the girls, he gives a final goodbye to Steve. They do a weird handshake thing where it looks like Steve is passing something to Eddie, but I can’t quite see what it is. He pockets it quickly after, and I can only assume it’s a little bit of weed or something.

“You ready to go, sweetheart,” Eddie asks and if those exact words don’t make me feel seventeen again, I don’t know what will.

I nod and he places an arm around my waist and leads me out of the bar. The cold blast of night air hits us and I shiver. Eddie holds me tightly against his side. We walk over to his car in silence, only the sound of the pebbles and grass crunching beneath our feet to fill the air.

He leads me over to a small forest green sedan.

“Oh no! What happened to the van?”

“I had to say goodbye,” he says as he opens the door for me. “She finally gave out back in ‘89.”

“The end of an era,” I comment as he slides into the driver's seat.

He puts the key into the ignition and starts the car. He pushes around a few buttons and a warm and welcomed heat is released from the air vents.

A Metallica tape roars from the dash. Eddie lowers the volume and mutters a quick “sorry”. I guess some things never change.

He pulls out of the parking lot and turns onto the main road.

“Hey,” Eddie looks over at me, “Do you want to go touch the stars? For old times sake.”

My eyes light up and I grin. Going out to “touch the stars” was our code for going stargazing at Lovers Lake. Just the two of us, alone, away from all our problems.

“I’d love that.”

The drive there is silent, in a comforting way. Eddie knows these roads like the back of his hands. And being in the passenger seat like this, by Eddie’s side, even in a different car, feels familiar, in a surprisingly good way.

You can feel the passage of time in the new car and the new hairstyles and new clothes we wear, but otherwise, it feels just like it did in ‘84.

Eddie even takes us to the same spot we used to go to.

God, have I just gone through a time machine?

I look over at Eddie as he puts the gear in park. The light from the moon illuminates his features, skin more sturdy and with a few more creases than it did in ‘84, but just as beautiful.

We get out of the car and proceed to lay on the hood of his car. The warmth of the car welcomed in the cool of the night.

“It’s easier to climb on this thing than the van was, but it’s so much smaller! One wrong move and I’m gonna fall off.”

“Sorry we don’t all have fancy lawyer money to buy us fancy lawyer cars.”

“Well, this fancy lawyer doesn't need a fancy lawyer car in New York, but she does have quite a lot of fancy lawyer debt,” I retort.

“Debt?”

“Yeah man. I was lucky to have had enough scholarships to cover undergrad, but law school was all out of my own pocket.”

“Shit. You holding up okay?”

“Yeah, the fancy lawyer money’s been helping a lot. Even though living in the city costs quite the pretty penny.”

“How’re you liking it?”

“The city?”

“The city, the job, everything.”

I exhale, “I love it. It’s everything I hoped for and more.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by how different things are than what I was used to growing up. But in a good way, like, I can’t believe this all exists. I can’t believe how big this world is.”

Eddie turns his head over to look at me.

I look back up at the sky and see the most stars I’ve seen in years. It’s like glitter.

“But other times, when I’m in a room full of people, I feel sort of alone. Like even though I connect really well with my friends or coworkers, I don’t think they really understand me or the kind of life I came from.

I mean, by Hawkins standards my family is doing well, thanks to the restaurant, but Eddie, you should see these people.

I mean they grew up in big cities with things like lake houses and beach houses and fancy private schools and summer trips abroad and family members that are also lawyers or doctors or engineers.

Meanwhile I…I’m the first in my family to even go to grad school, let alone graduate from it. But it’s weird because even when I’m back here, I feel out of place. Like I’m too much for Hawkins, but not enough for New York.”

“You were never too much for me.” Eddie says in a low voice as he keeps looking up at the stars.

“Not then,” he turns to look at me, “And not now.”

I’m starting to blink rapidly. It’s one of those rare moments where someone says just the right words at just the right time. Like I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect moment.

I don’t really know what to say, so all I can think to do is reach out and grab his hand and intertwine our fingers. Even after all these years, I still feel just as safe and protected by Eddie. Like I could say my deepest darkest fears and he would still be by my side.

“Do you think you would ever move back to Hawkins?”

I sigh, “I don’t know. Never say never I guess, but I really don’t see myself coming back. Do you think you would ever move out to the city?”

“I tried the city thing for a bit after high school actually. I tried kicking it with Gareth in Indianapolis. But I had a lot of unresolved issues that got in the way of it so I had to come back. And now, I feel like I’m finally at a good place, a stable place. I’ve got a good job, steady paycheck, good friends, family, music. It’s more than I had as a kid, so I think I’m gonna keep riding this out for as long as I can.”

“That’s fair,” I muse, contemplating the ever-widening gap in our life choices and dreams.

I snort at the impending realization, “Wait, I almost forgot to ask, how’s the old side business coming along?”

“Actually, I uh, closed up shop a while ago?”

“What? You did?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“A bit of a drug bust,” Eddie chuckles.

I shift my torso to face him and look at him with concern, “Eddie.”

“With Wayne.”

“Oh… Wait, what?!”

“Yeah, turns out he knew the whole time. But it wasn’t until a particular deal I had at the trailer while he was home that he finally called me out on it.”

“Shit. What did he say to you?”

“He wasn’t even mad at me, he just said he was disappointed which was about a thousand times fucking worse for some reason.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah and it made me think about how you weren’t a big fan of it either. So I made a promise to myself that when I had the money and could land on my feet, I would stop. Sure enough, I gave it up after I started working at the mechanic shop and had enough money to move out.”

“Oh, Eddie. That’s-Wow.”

“I mean, I’m definitely not opposed to sharing the occasional joint with Robin and the gang, but otherwise I’ve been trying to distance myself from that whole thing. Helped me get through a lot of stuff when I was younger, but now, I kinda don’t need it as much anymore.”

“Wow, you’ve really mellowed out over the years,” I shove him teasingly and he chuckles. He rests his head against mine.

“I’m proud of you Eddie. And not just for walking a cleaner path, but for everything. For graduating, being there for your uncle, finding your own family, and–”

“Growing up?’ he asks, but it’s teasing. “Yeah, in a way. Even though l liked immature Eddie, maturity really suits you too.”

“I’m proud of you too babe. Even though we were miles apart, I was always rooting for you.”

I turn over to face him, this time turning my entire body to face his. “You were?”

Eddie mirrors my movement and turns his whole body to face me. “Yeah, of course I was.”

I close my eyes and lean my head into his chest. “I think I want immature Eddie back.”

Eddie strokes my hair. “I know, but I wanted you to hear it. And deep down, I think you needed to hear it too.”

“Eddie, “I prop myself up on my elbows. “There’s something I think I need you to hear too.”

“Yeah,” he asks, propping himself up on his elbows too.

I inhale, breath shaky. I look at him, and the moonlight is bathing his pale skin so perfectly. He looks like a prince, like a beauty.

And then it hits me, in this moment, it’s everything I wanted. Everything I couldn’t have with Eddie as a teenager, I can finally have now. And I want it, more than I’ve ever wanted anything.

Please, please, please, let me get what I want. Lord knows it would be the first time.

“I’m sorry.”

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taglist: @tayhar811@all-time-otaku

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson oneshot #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson headcanon #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst ##stranger things fanfic #stranger things s4 #stranger things season 4 #stranger things x reader #stranger things fanfiction #urfavstargirl1

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ledenews · 6 months

Link

#belmontcounty #BrookeCounty #Christmas #MarilynNovotney #MarshallCounty #ohiocounty #UpperOhioValley

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stonyinspiration · 3 years

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Stony Writing Materlist

To be updated!

Some works may be removed or expanded. Also note I no longer write for Superfamily unless an OC child is involved in place of Peter.

Out of Place

( Stony) Steve sacrifices himself to protect his team, but he doesn’t die. The serum lasts long enough to keep him alive but then fades, reverting Steve back to his pre-serum state. Steve once again finds himself out of place and questions his new role in The Avengers

With You

(Superfamily) A ghostly presence stirs up the already shattered remnants of the Stark-Rogers household. Their son, Peter, finds hope in the being’s presence.

(Note: Takes place on the 31st of October but has nothing really to do with Halloween other than having a supernatural influence.)

In Any State of Being (The Wedding)

(Stony) Steve is reverted back to his pre-serum state. His cells have started to age, causing rapid health deterioration, and soon, death. Tony makes the toughest decision of his life.

The Lake House

(Stony) Tony and Steve own a small house at a lake where they can retreat to if their lives become too stressful. A calming, lovely place where they can simply focus on family, as well as their marriage. There was a time where neither of them were sure their marriage would last, and it’s likely it may not have if it weren’t for The Lake House.

The Tattoo Artist and The Billionaire (Newly edited and updated!)

(Stony AU) Steve is a veteran tattoo artist with his own tattoo shop. Then one night Tony Stark, the young, newly appointed heir to his father's billion dollar company, decides to get a tattoo. Steve has a person gripe with Stark Industries and has no trouble telling the young man what he thinks of not only him, but also his late father's company. What follows is unexpected for the both of them.

Alive

(Stony with implied original child character ) Background: Steve is once again believed to be dead, which leaves Tony as his child’s guardian. Years later Steve is found alive, but something isn’t right.

In this piece Tony is just grateful to have Steve back, and they express their love through passionate sex. Tony remembers losing him. (Note: (A series of experimental pieces to hopefully be turned into a larger fic)

Not Mine

(Stony with original child character. Same verse as “Alive” ) Background: Steve is once again believed to be dead, which leaves Tony as his child’s guardian. Years later Steve is found alive, but something isn’t right.

In this piece Tony deals with the fact that he may lose his son to Steve. (Note: (A series of experimental pieces to hopefully be turned into a larger fic)

The Ava Stark-Rogers Series

Series of writings involving Steve Rogers and Tony Stark’s daughter.

The Whole Gang Interferes

(Stony High School AU) The whole gang stalks Steve and Tony on their first date.(Note: This is a short that was meant to be just a headcanon but ended up being a mini prompt fill.)

Peters First Temper Tantrum

(Superfamily) Steve and Tony are forced to deal with Peter’s first temper tantrum in public.(Note: This is a short that was meant to be just a headcanon but ended up being a mini prompt fill.)

I Hate Captain America!

(Stony AU) Steve is found earlier, when Tony is only eight years old. Tony has to fight for Howard’s attention.

Memories

(Pre-Stony ) Steve reconnects with Bucky and tries to help bring his memories back. Tony remembers the day his parents were killed.

Love Lives On

(Superfamily) Peter watches as his parents relationship ends and one of them finds another partner.

Memories

(Pre-Stony ) Steve reconnects with Bucky and tries to help bring his memories back. Tony remembers the day his parents were killed.

Someone to Wake Up For

(Stony) Tony slips into a coma. Steve confesses his guilt to an estranged Pepper.

What If

(Stony AU) Tony and Steve have never met before until now and both are seemingly happily married.

What if? Part 2

(Continuation of “What If”) Tony and Steve begin an affair behind their wives backs.

What If We loved? Part 3

(Continuation of “What If”) Tony and Pepper’s daughter witness Steve and Tony kissing. Major Angst and guilt follows.

What If We Were Fools? Part 4

(Continuation of “What If”) Steve and Tony must team up to save Violet. (Note: Incomplete)

Obligations

(Stony) Fury forces Steve to break up with Tony.

If We Die Tomorrow(I Love You)

(Stony) The Avengers might die tomorrow, and Tony has a confession to make to Steve.

A Merry Little Christmas

(Superfamily) The holidays are a depressing time for Tony and he is still adjusting to fatherhood.

#Reposting #stony inspiration writes #stony #superhusbands #steve rogers x tony stark

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tabloidtoc · 3 years

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National Enquirer, March 15

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Tiger Woods' car crash

Page 2: Bruce Springsteen has beaten the DUI charges leveled against him after federal prosecutors couldn't find a drop of evidence he had been drinking over the legal limit -- with an acceptable blood alcohol level of 0.02 well below the 0.08 threshold at the time of his arrest in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, prosecutors backed off two of their charges for drunken and reckless driving -- the rocker did plead guilty to a third charge, admitting he had two small shots of tequila on federal parkland and for that, he was fines $500 plus $40 in court costs

Page 3: Patrick Dempsey's dreamy return to Grey's Anatomy was a big hit with fans but his well-received cameo left series star Ellen Pompeo seething with jealousy -- Ellen may have permitted Patrick to revisit his old stomping grounds in Meredith Grey's fever dreams in season 17 but she doesn't want him coming back permanently and swiping her hard-earned glory and she considers herself the anchor of the show and thought she was rid of this guy after making the show her own, but now fans are begging for him to be brought back and Ellen is furious -- it's no secret Ellen hated the first 10 years of the show when Patrick was the star and she feels the series got better after he left and she became a big-shot producer, something she'd been demanding for years -- she likes being in control and calling the shots and clearly thinks she got this deal on her merit alone but it's also because she's the star who's lasted the longest; most of the original cast had already left and bosses had to cave in to keep her -- unfortunately being in charge hasn't amounted to better ratings and show has been slipping consistently in recent years and the main reason they brought Patrick back on was to spike the ratings, which it did and now producers are considering offering Patrick a full-time gig but Ellen will do everything in her power to prevent Patrick from stealing her thunder again

Page 4: Home reno gurus Chip and Joanna Gaines are clashing over his wild spending, and she's desperate to rein him in before they land in the poorhouse -- Chip and Jo are rich on paper and worth $20 million in property and assets but they were hit hard by the pandemic like everyone else and recovery has been sluggish to say the least -- they're just getting back on their feet and under a ton of pressure to get their Magnolia network off to a running start but Chip, as usual, is casual when it comes to money and it frustrates Jo to see him buying things they don't need, like new tools and equipment when the old ones work just fine and overpaying on lumber and masonry -- Chip is always shopping and not always for the house; he's got a boot fetish and has dozens of pairs, plus he treats the crew to free cappuccino and treats from their coffeehouse several time a day and Chip wants the best of everything for himself and everyone else

* Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are ready to welcome baby number four through adoption -- the couple who are parents of daughters James and Inez and Betty hope to find their next child in South America and they've invested time and money sponsoring immigrant children and they're warming up to the idea of providing an orphaned baby or toddler with a forever home -- a 16-year-old girl they sponsored through the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights was deported back to Honduras and they were heartbroken, and Blake and Ryan are now determined to provide a child with a happy home and opportunities he or she wouldn't have in their native country

Page 5: Newlyweds Pamela Anderson and Dan Hayhurst are itching to start a family and are already trying for a baby of their own -- 53-year-old Pam tied the knot with the 40-year-old handyman on Christmas Eve at her Vancouver Island home and she's been telling pals they hope to have happy news soon -- Pam wants to build a whole new clan with Dan and he's on board even though they each have kids with their exes and Dan's two kids from a previous relationship are living with the couple at Pam's pad -- the couple love the idea of adopting or going the surrogate route and it's not something they want to waste any time over

Page 6: Weary Kelly Clarkson is juggling her skyrocketing career and brutal divorce battle with estranged husband Brandon Blackstock on less than six hours sleep a night and Kelly has also been pushing to sell her homes in Nashville and Encino, while running her L.A.-based talk show and recording new music -- she's been running herself ragged for months and she's feeling the burn in a big way but despite her exhaustion, she can't sleep and nothing she tries works and the most shut-eye she catches is two, three hours at a time; she lays awake in bed at night worrying and crying

* Suddenly remorseful Kanye West has spiraled into depression and despair since soon-to-be ex-wife Kim Kardashian filed for divorce -- for all their problems, Kanye realizes she was the one person who was there for him whenever he went off the deep end and now he knows he's alone and seriously doubts he can hold his life together -- without Kim and her family to keep his wild impulses in check, he may succumb to the poor judgment and wild mood swings that have marked his chronic bipolar disorder as they were the ones who reminded him to take his meds and steer clear of recreational drugs and now all he has is a circle of yes-men he doesn't listen to anyway -- since the split, Kanye has shuttled between his ranch in Cody, Wyoming and a hotel in L.A. near the sprawling mansion he once shared with Kim and he's been blowing up her phone to beg forgiveness, but she won't take his calls and it's driving him off the deep end again

Page 7: Kourtney Kardashian is fed up with Shanna Moakler's online barbs and is plotting her revenge against the ex-wife of her new squeeze -- since Kourtney and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker went public with their romance last month, former pageant queen Shanna has been throwing social media shade and Kourtney's tired of taking Shanna's crap and she's going to fire back soon and Kourtney's using her wide network of contacts in Hollywood to bad-mouth Shanna and she's placing calls to casting directors and perspective suitors to put as many potholes in her love rival's path as possible and she plans to make Shanna regret messing with her

Page 8: Nearly two years after Johnny Depp was forced to exit Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise following ex-wife Amber Heard's allegations of abuse, the company has kicked him while he's down by considering her for a plum part -- Johnny is fuming over news that Amber is reportedly in contention to play fairy-tale heroine Rapunzel in the studio's upcoming live-action remake of Tangled -- for Amber to be in the running for a Disney pic is the ultimate insult to him especially because he believes the company made millions of dollars off his name

Page 9: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle had a whopping $500 million motive to betray Queen Elizabeth -- outraged at being cut loose by the British royals, the couple retaliated by secretly negotiating backroom Hollywood megadeals and going public on TV -- Harry and Meghan see themselves as victims of an out-of-touch monarchy and want revenge and selling out Harry's family is the way to get it and cash in big-time; Meghan's convinced they'll have deals totaling $500 million by the end of the year but they better act fast because Hollywood is a fickle town where even royalty can be chewed up and spat out

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Amelia Hamlin stuck to the shore while pink-haired beau Scott Disick made waves in Miami, Steve Martin nibbled on a pretzel while filming Only Murders in the Building in NYC, Floyd Mayweather turned 44 and celebrated with a birthday bash in Miami, Bachelorette reject Tyler Cameron showed off his toned tummy in Florida

Page 11: Drew Barrymore feels deeply for dad-controlled Britney Spears because she's been there: she said her mom locked her away in a loony bin for over a year when she was just 13 -- Drew said it's hard to grow up in front of people and she empathizes with Britney and Paris Hilton and any star who can't escape the glare of celebrity -- Drew's mom put her in a place that was a full psychiatric ward and says she used to laugh at those Malibu 30-day places because she was in a place for a year and a half called Van Nuys Psychiatric and you couldn't mess around there and if you did, you would either get thrown in the padded room or put in stretcher restraints and tied up

* Eddie Murphy famously bragged he has never changed a diaper in his life despite having so many kids and now he's set on having another baby with fiancee Paige Butcher and this will make baby No. 11 for Eddie -- he says his genes are incredible as ever, so why stop; he's super fit and Paige is in amazing shape at age 41 and wants at least one more baby so they're going to go for it and are already trying

Page 12: Straight Shuter gossip column -- CNN could blitz news veteran Wolf Blitzer as the network revamps its lineup and TV is a young person's game and no one knows that better than Wolf and after 31 years at CNN, he sees new faces getting promoted and knows his days are numbered and Jim Acosta and Poppy Harlow are the future of CNN, not Wolf -- although Wolf's airtime has been cut as Jake Tapper's role expands, he isn't bitter or angry but instead he's grateful for an amazing run

* Love It or List It star Hilary Farr is moving on to her own show and leaving partner David Visentin in the dust -- Hilary's new show is basically the same one she and David have been doing for years, with him edited out and David was blindsided by the news and he knows HGTV has sent out a casting notice for the new show and he's hurt and angry especially because Love It or List It hasn't been renewed yet

* Sacked Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron has reached out to Chris Harrison after he stepped away from The Bachelor amid a racist scandal -- Tom wasn't fired over a scandal, but he knows exactly what Chris is going through because both of them thought they had a job for life, but nothing lasts forever -- Tom is a good guy and wants Chris to know he's around if Chris needs anything

* Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, spruced up for the camera (picture)

Page 13: Brooke Shields isn't letting a busted leg keep her down but she's taking her recovery one step at a time -- she shared an Instagram video showing her cautiously hobbling on crutches and explained she broker her femur and she was beginning to mend -- she didn't reveal what caused the unlucky break

* Outspoken actress Rose McGowan is living a charmed life in Mexico and the Harvey Weinstein accuser has headed south of the border and vows never to return to the United States -- she got her permanent residency card from Mexico and is grateful to have it and says it's a really healing land and it is truly magical -- she moved at the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic because she knew it was going to get really bad in America and she had a moment to figure out where she wanted to be

* Picky perfectionist Blake Shelton listens to around 300 songs to choose what to record for each of his albums, according to his longtime producer -- music pro Scott Hendricks said he wades through nearly 3000 tracks by professional songwriters to select tunes for Blake to consider and then Blake methodically whittles down the nominees until he's certain which songs he wants to record but Scott admitted that process is more difficult for him culling the 300 from the 3000 -- Scott, who has worked with Blake for most of his career, said of their close professional relationship that the chemistry works and they have recorded several hundred or more songs together and they are getting ready to go do some more

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: Killer kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's busted beauty queen bride will be marked for death behind bars -- if Emma Coronel Aispuro snitches to the feds about the bloodthirsty Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel long run by her caged husband, she'll put a big fat bulls-eye on her back -- according to a federal complaint, Coronel was intimately involved in her husband's multibillion-dollar drug-running racket and acted as his criminal agent while he was on the lam and the mother of El Chapo's two young daughters helped mastermind her spouse's daring 2015 tunnel escape from a Mexican prison and also paid him $100,000 for another failed bust-out a year later -- they are going to put the heat on her to spill more details on other top operatives in the cartel and take them down, too, but if she spills, it will be open season on her on the inside

Page 16: Dr. Dre appears to rap about estranged wife Nicole Young in a song filled with angry, explicit lyrics calling someone in his life a greedy bitch -- DJ Silk previewed part of a new track from Dre full of digs presumably at Nicole, with whom he has been locked in a nasty divorce -- his lyrics include: Trying to kill me with them lies and that perjury/ I see you trying to f--k me while I'm in surgery / In ICU death bed on some money s--t / Greedy bitch take a pic / Girl you know how money get

* Hollywood Hookups -- Lorenzo Lamas is set to wed for the sixth time to model Kenna Scott, Justin Hartley and Chrishell Stause are officially divorced, Adam Rippon is engaged to Jussi-Pekka Kajaala

Page 17: Former Home Improvement kid Zachery Ty Bryan has pleaded guilty to two felony counts of domestic violence -- Zachery, now 39, has been sentenced to three years of probation and will also have to take part in a batterer intervention program

* John Mayer has dated a succession of famous singers including Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Halsey and he hopes they write chart-topping songs about him and admitted he'd be jazzed if his exes enshrined him in song, saying sometimes a song is so good he hopes it's about him and he even scours their lyrics for clues -- Taylor already has several tracks that have been linked to John including Dear John

* Ruthless chef Gordon Ramsay said he's cooked up his own plan to keep his kids humble -- he has five kids with wife Tana: Megan, twins Holly and Jack, Tilly and Oscar but said he plans to leave most of his reported $200 million fortune to charity -- Gordon explained his kids must tidy up after dinners, can only fly coach and are expected to learn how to cook for themselves and he's forbidden them from taking costly taxis and the foulmouthed foodie insisted they don't swear

Page 18: American Life

Page 19: Roseanne Barr was blindsided by a humiliating new scandal after risque photos from the early '90s recently emerged which appear to show her teenage daughters licking her boobs -- Roseanne posed for the shots with her two youngest girls at a Glamour Shots studio in Iowa more than 25 years ago and the photographer who claimed he snapped the fake lesbian lovefest but did not want to be named dished Roseanne and daughters Jessica and Jennifer who are now in their mid-40s happily hammed it up for the camera but decades later Roseanne and her daughters are all mortified and embarrassed by these pics; they were horsing around years ago and never thought they'd see the light of day

Page 20: Cover Story -- Still recovering from agonizing back surgery, Tiger Woods was pushing himself to the limit when he flew off a California cliff into a career-crushing car accident -- lawmen said the golf legend was lucky to be alive after the horrific wreck that shattered his right leg -- the accident only added to Tiger's physical problems; his movement has been restricted since a fifth back operation in December and he was unable to play golf despite an appearance at a local tournament the weekend before the bloody wreck -- at a press conference days before cheating death, Tiger admitted he was worried about his physical condition and his ability to play again, saying a lot of it is based on his surgeons and doctors and therapist and making sure he does it correctly and he doesn't have a lot of wiggle room left -- Tiger could barely move, and it seemed to get him down and his back rehab has been brutal and he was hobbling around and distraught but he refused to give into his condition and his tough-as-nails mindset could have contributed to the crash: when a person is overwhelmed by physical pain, that dominates everything they do and if you're behind the wheel of a car and in physical pain, it can distract you and likely lead to this kind of disaster -- Tiger was eager to get to a TV taping on the morning disaster struck and he seemed impatient when he left the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, an L.A. suburb, just after 7 a.m. and although traffic cameras show he was driving within the speed limit, his Genesis GV80 SUV crossed the center median onto the opposite side of the road and flipped -- authorities said Tiger appeared lucid to first responders and there were no signs the recovering addict was under the influence of alcohol or drugs and they did not request a blood test when Tiger was rushed to the hospital from the crash site and the incident was an accident -- Tiger was taken to nearby Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where doctors said his broken bones protruded through his right leg and they put a rod in his leg and used screws and pins to stabilize the break and his ankle -- it will take three to four months to heal and then eight months of physical therapy and it is unlikely he will ever run again and he may have a limp and in terms of golf, just walking for extended periods of time will be a big deal and recovery will be agonizing; it's a very real possibility that Tiger's taken his final swing

Page 21: Addiction experts warned Tiger Woods' recovery will test his sobriety after his stint in rehab for prescription painkiller use and it is very, very common for a patient in recovery to relapse after a trauma like the one suffered by Tiger and exposure to painkillers administered directly or prescribed after a physical trauma is highly likely to trigger a relapse -- Tiger will probably need painkillers to get through this, but he'll also need to be connected with like-minded people to keep him away from his old thinking that pills are the solution to his problems

Page 22: Desperate Ghislaine Maxwell has offered to renounce her British and French citizenships in a new bid to get out of jail -- the disgraced socialite's last two stabs at freedom including one package offering $22.5 million as bond money were rejected by a judge who deemed her a flight risk -- now according to her lawyers, Ghislaine will formally commence the procedure to renounce her foreign citizenship to satisfy any concerns the court may have that she may try to seek a safe haven in France or the U.K. -- Justice Department officials were concerned Ghislaine would flee to France, where she was born, since the country has no extradition treaty with the U.S.

* Woody Allen claimed his own words are being used to attack him in the bombshell Allen v. Farrow documentary -- Woody has repeatedly denied adopted daughter Dylan Farrow's claims he sexually abused her when she was seven at her mom Mia Farrow's home -- Woody blasted the documentary which rehashes the claims as a shoddy hit piece and a hatched job riddled with falsehoods adding the filmmakers stole from his autobiography

Page 26: Twice-divorced Ricki Lake's engagement to California attorney Ross Burningham has insiders fearing she may suffer yet another heartbreak -- she announced her happy news on Instagram but Ricki has seen far more than her share of bad luck in the romance department and everyone is praying this final shot at love doesn't end in despair and it's never Ricki's fault, but she's never found a man who could keep her happy

Page 28: A lurid landscape of drug-fueled orgies, suicidal thoughts and fake sexual enthusiasm will play out in a new television series based on model and reality star Holly Madison's X-rated confessions from her shocking 2015 biography Down the Bunny Hole -- Madison first exposed the sleazy details of how she and other young women were plied with drugs and coerced to participate in sex parties with Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in exchange for acting as his girlfriends and getting to live inside the iconic L.A. mansion along with a weekly $1000 stipend -- the limited series will star actress Samara Weaving as Holly, who was a member of Hef's harem between 2001 and 2008 -- Holly, Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt became the notorious stars of the reality show The Girls Next Door which debuted in 2005 and focused on their seemingly glamorous life with Hef but glossed over the dark secrets behind the scenes -- in her bombshell confessions, Holly revealed the 22-bedroom manor was actually a foul pigsty filled with stained mattresses where Hef's live-in ladies were forced to perform weird bedroom rituals and look excited by it

Page 29: Jack Osbourne has listed his sprawling California home for rent at $16,500 a month -- the 35-year-old son of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne is offering the five-bedroom, 5600-square-foot home in Studio City unfurnished -- Sharon was recently seen outside the home with moving vans helping Jack prep the property -- Jack, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, bought the home in 2014 when he was married to Lisa Stelly; the couple divorced in 2018 and share three children: Andy, Pearl and Minnie

* Heidi Klum has snipped all threads tying her to dad Gunther Klum after the cosmetics and modeling honcho skipped her wedding -- Heidi dumped her manager dad after he snubbed her August 2019 ceremony in Capri with guitarist Tom Kaulitz of the band Tokio Hotel and she has also ended her German enterprise Heidi Klum GmbH, originally overseen by Gunther -- Heidi and her dad had a falling out over Tom and Gunther never really approved of him and was dead set against the marriage and it drove a wedge in their relationship

Page 32: Health Watch

* Ask the Vet -- an African Gray Parrot with a feather-picking problem

Page 34: Barack Obama broke a buddy's nose over a racist remark -- he revealed the two classmates were playing basketball when his friend hurled a racial slur and he popped him in the face and broke his nose, Obama told Bruce Springsteen on their podcast Renegades: Born in the USA -- Obama said he doesn't think his pal even knew what the word meant, just that it was meant to be hurtful

* Country singer Keith Urban has shrunk to 140 pounds as the former addict is hooked on a bizarre diet of nuts and berries and even worse, the five-foot-ten crooner appears to be growing thinner and friends are worried the stress of his demanding career and his desperate desire to be a good husband to Nicole Kidman may push him over the edge -- no one sees him eating much more than handfuls of raw almonds or sunflower seeds and berries washed down with gallons of water -- though he's been sober since 2006, pals fear the struggle to avoid giving in to temptation as well as hearing Nicole purportedly mended fences with ex-hubby Tom Cruise may be weighing on the star -- despite his bony appearance, Keith thinks he looks great

Page 40: Evil ISIS terrorists are using the COVID-19 pandemic as cover while they rebuild their network and mastermind new attacks and both Iraq and the U.S. are in their crosshairs -- because the West has been focused on dealing with the pandemic, ISIS and new groups sprung from their shattered forces have been reloading and plotting revenge, according to Ryan Mauro of the terrorist-monitoring Clarion Intelligence Network -- the pandemic has brought decreased confidence in Western governments, which has emboldened the terrorists to launch sleeper cell attacks on foreign soil

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Anya Taylor-Joy

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

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Survey #410

“oh baby, baby, does she take a piece of lime for the drink that i’ma buy her, do you know just what she likes?

Do you put candy canes on your Christmas tree? Ye. Have you ever written/drawn/painted random stuff on your bedroom wall? No. What do you currently hear? A slowed w/ reverb version of "If U Seek Amy" by Britney Spears. Yes, I have a serious thing for these edits of childhood songs, ha ha. Actually, no shame, I still love Britney lmao. What's your favorite flavor of Doritos? Cool Ranch. Do you like bagels? Yep. Do you ever worry about what the world will be like when you have kids? I ain't having any of those, so I don't have to worry about that. Have you ever seen a hippo in person? At a zoo, yes. Are you any good at HTML? Noooo. When was the last time you did something you knew was wrong? Recently, because I'm awful about downloading things illegally. What was the last thing you downloaded on your computer? A picture. Do you ever cry just to get your way? Hi, I'm 25. I at least have SOME adult traits. Have you ever been to any professional sports games? Yes. What's the most boring sport to watch? The only sport I enjoy watching is dance, so. I think golf has to take the cake for the absolute worst, though. Do you like lip rings on the opposite sex? UGH I just love lip rings on anybody. Do you have good or bad vision? Literally awful. Have you ever parked in a handicapped spot when you weren't supposed to? Hell no. That is so fucking inconsiderate and lazy. Have you ever been to a different country? No. When was the last time you finger-painted? Nooo idea. Probably not since I was a little kid. Do you say car-mel or car-A-mel? "Care-uh-mel." When you get out of the shower, do you use one or two towels? One. Are you uncomfortable with changing clothes in front of others? Absolutely yes. Hell, I don't think I ever really changed in front of Jason back in the day, so that says something about how self-conscious I was with a FIT body. Never mind this catastrophe I own now. Which is worse: Runny nose or stuffy nose? Both suck, but stuffy drives me absolutely INSANE. Who's been the most influential person in your life? My mom. Do you have any tan lines? Ha, yeah, no. How many different schools have you gone to? Six. Do you know how to slow dance? I mean, yes? It's not complicated. Have you ever taken The Impossible Quiz? (If not, you should Google it. :D) No, and I'll never waste my time doing that shit. I've watched people play and beat it, but it seems like such frustrating, pointless madness with zero rhyme or reason behind it. Has someone that you liked told you that you are a waste of their time? No. Who is the last person you were in a car with? Mom. In the next 6 months, what are you looking forward to most? Ummmm Christmas, maybe? That's always exciting. Is there anyone who hates you? Probably. Who were you with the last time you went out for food? Mom. If your boyfriend or girlfriend smoked pot, would you care? Eh... I guess if it was for medicinal purposes, I would be okay with it. I'm not keen on dating a smoker of anything. Do you want to start over with anyone? Just Jason, at least sometimes. It'd be really, really nice if we could be friends again and just forget about who we were all those years ago, but I genuinely doubt my ability to be "just friends" with him. Even though I haven't spoken to this dude in over FOUR YEARS, and I'm sure he's changed a lot, just like I have. We might not even be compatible anymore. As much as I may want it, I think it's probably for the better we remain unassociated. Do you eat the crust of your sandwiches? It's what I eat first. Are you completely over your last relationship? Not "completely," no. I still love her, but I'm in a headspace of accepting that now is not the right time with unfit conditions. What hoodie did you wear last? My Pikachu one, which is the one I pretty much always wear. Do you listen to Incubus? Probably surprisingly, no. I don't know if I've even heard a song. Do you wear flip-flops during the winter? More like always. Do you like the smell of Axe? If you don't use an obnoxious amount, yeah. What do you think of feminists? Absolutely necessary as pilots for change. HOWEVER, I do believe some can take the concept waaaay too far. Who was the last person to smoke a cigarette in your presence? Dad, probably. When was the last time you ate a cupcake? Oh my god, GUYS. It was my niece's birthday last month, and she did the CUTEST shit. She used to be very, very opposed to getting even slightly dirty (I mean like a speck of dirt on her would make her cry), and this kid decided to just C H O M P into her cupcake and get the frosting ALL over her face. She had two and got so messy, and that angel was just laughing hysterically about it. That girl is such a damn gift. Safe to say she was bouncing off the walls that night. Did you hug one of your parents today? No. Do you tan in the nude? I don't tan, period. Have you ever put a lot of thought and effort into a gift for somebody, only for them to act like it didn’t really matter to them? Oh god, no. That would really, really hurt, because I genuinely do try to be very thoughtful with my gifts. Do you follow the ‘five second rule’ when you drop food on the ground? NOOOOOOO. It's just a bullshit myth. I am NOT eating food that's been on the floor for a millisecond. If you had to describe yourself using a colour, which colour would you be? Maybe like... navy blue? Kinda dark and somber, but also has a calmness to it. Have you ever had to use another person’s toothbrush before? What were the circumstances? I WOULD FUCKING NEVER. Omg that is so gross. Have you ever crashed a car? No. Do you have a garden? Does it have flowers, vegetables, or both? No. Where do you want to raise your kids? I don't want kids, but if I did, absolutely surrounded by nature and animals. Have you ever been to Cracker Barrel? Yeah, I love it there. Damn, now I want some, lol. Have you ever seen a ghost? I sure as fuck saw something. As soon as you find out you are pregnant, who will you first tell? Who says I'm ever going to BE pregnant? 'Cuz it sure isn't in my plans. But hypothetically, the dad. Have you ever won a game of Minesweeper? Like ever? I've never played it. Who is your best guy friend(s)? Girt. I really should chat with him soon, it's been too long. If you had a tiny scar on your face, would you get it removed or just keep it? I'd keep it. Make me look more badass. ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ What is your hair naturally like? Brown and kinda-sorta wavy. Have you ever stared at a stranger and they said something to you about it? No; I don't stare at people. Is your father very protective of you? I wouldn't say "very protective," no. What would you do if your hero died? ffffffUCK THIS QUESTION HOW ABOUT NO HE'S NOT ALLOWED THAT'S VERY ILLEGAL Where was your first date at with your current lover? I don't have one currently. Are you friendly in the morning, or are you barely awake? Depends on how much sleep I got, but I'm generally in my best mood in the morning. Did your parents force you to go to church? Mom did. What made you pick up the last book you started reading? It was the next book in the series I'm reading, Wings of Fire. When was the last time you went somewhere for the first time? Hm. I dunno. Hypothetically and generally speaking, how would you go about breaking up with someone? Is there anything you would make sure to say, or perhaps not say? I mean it would really depend on WHY I was breaking up with them, but I guess in most situations I'd try to meet them face-to-face and explain why I wanted to cut things off. I think it'd be important for them to hear my tone of voice, and I think physically meeting somewhere would show that I care enough for them to cut time out of my day to see them and try to hurt them as least as possible, given the situation. What do you find particularly offensive? Would you say you’re easy or difficult to offend? DO NOT in even a minor way ridicule mental illness or belittle victims as "weak" or pull the "it's just in their head" bullshit. The misuse of the term "retard(ed)" also genuinely offends me. I wouldn't say I'm easy to offend, either. What was the last chore you completed? Changing my cat's litter. When was the last time someone saw you naked? It's been a loooong time, and it would've only been my mom when I was like, going into a shower or something. If you could bring someone back from the dead and spend an hour with them, who would it be and what would you do/say? Probably Steve Irwin. I'd go on and on about how his family has carried his legacy so brilliantly, and show him aaaaaall the public pictures of Bindi and Grace, especially. God, that man would be so proud of them all. What is the greatest lost you’ve endured? My first "real" boyfriend. How would you describe your current mood? A mix of tired and anxious. I don't feel like going to bed yet, and the storm we've got passing through has me nervous about tornadoes 'n shit. Do you ever drink or get high alone? I've had some light drinks alone. What is the “worst” drug you’ve done? Are there any you will never try, or any you want to try? I've never done any illicit drugs, and I don't want to. What is the most personal thing you’re willing to reveal? Probably that I've had a pilonidal cyst. It's awkward to explain, but I'll share it anyway if there's a good reason to/I'm asked or something. What made you stop talking to the last person you cut out of your life? Her just being the most toxic, drama-filled person with the biggest victim complex of any human I've ever met. Who was the last person to yell at you? Did you yell back? Mom, and my voice was raised. Where do you like to be kissed? This depends on how serious we are. Can go from just the cheek to a lot of places. Which season is your least favorite and why? Summer, because it's too goddamn hot and humid. Who, if anyone, do you compare yourself to most? Probably my little sister. She's on such a successful path, and then there's like... me lmao. Do you have a night-light in your bedroom? If so, what does it look like? No. What is your favorite breakfast food? How often do you get to eat it? Cinnamon rollssssss. I have 'em very rarely, though. I'll eat too many of them, which I definitely don't need. What is your favorite thing about autumn? What about your least favorite thing? AHHHHHH EVERYTHING. I love Halloween and the decorations that come with it, the changing leaves, the crisp air... just all of it. :') Who was the last person you asked for help? Mom, I'm sure.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''if u seek amy'' by britney spears

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staticscreenwriting · 5 years

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12 Days of Christmas - [Day 2]

A/N: Day number 2 for the Christmas coundown with @mattysheelies. Sorry for being a bit late with uploading but I just got home an hour ago and I had to edit this a little. But here it is. Enjoy.

Prompt: “ Ah yes, the age-old tradition of an obese old man dressed in a red suit - breaking into your house.”

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

I remember meeting Steve Harrington on a cold december morning in 1985. I remember this not because I immediately fell in love with him (though he was undeniably charming and handsome), but for the simple fact that never before had I seen someone look so utterly miserable. I remember this because it was both our first day at our new job. I loved this job, Steve — not so much.

When you’re a kid, people always tell you to find something you’re good at, something that brings you joy, and to make a living out of it. Only, if the one thing you’re good at, is spreading Christmas cheer as one of Santa’s elves at the local mall, things suddenly look very different. Suddenly they tell you to get a “real job” and life just gets confusing all over.

I enjoyed spending time with the kids, spreading Christmas cheer and trying to keep that sense of childlike wonder in my own heart for as long as I possibly could. Also, and I hate to brag, but I looked pretty good in my elf uniform. Steve pretty much just suffered his way through the day, giving the bare minimum and earning himself unamused glares from exhausted parents.

The first proper conversation we had, was on december 12th. I remember it so clearly because, hey the Steve Harrington was having a conversation with little old me. It was another frosty day though there was still no sign of snow. Steve had wanted to escape Santa’s village for just a few minutes during lunch break and since the roof of the mall was the only place that didn’t blast christmas music, he had decided to wander up here. Which let him straight to me, that weird girl, spending her lunch break leant against the railing, looking up at the sky and wishing for snow.

“ Oh uh — sorry. I didn’t mean to — “

“ No it’s fine don’t worry. I’m just waiting for the snow. “

“ Snow, huh ? White Christmas ? “

“ Yup. It’s what I wish for every year. Like in the movies. Always wanted to wear one of those big red ballgowns and watch the snow fall. “

“ You really care about all that Christmas stuff, huh ? “

“ Christmas stuff ? “

“ Mmh Elves and Santa and all that stuff. I always notice you humming along to the songs and don’t think I don’t see you rearrange the ornaments on the trees, literally every single morning. “

“ Do you watch me ? “

“ I — no! “

But he was blushing then, as he denied it. I kept that secret to myself, the fact that I knew he was lying. Because I knew and that was all that mattered. And I was flattered. I’m sure my cheeks were just as red as his.

“ I just like Christmas and all that comes with it. It brings people wonderful memories, makes them feel happy. If I can play a little part in that by helping kids believe in the magic of these traditions then that’s all that matters. “

“ Ah yes, the age-old tradition of an obese old man dressed in a red suit - breaking into your house.”

“ Oh aren’t you a regular Ebenezer Scrooge “

“ I’m not, I just don’t think Christmas is all that. It’s not like the movies anyway …. “

“ So what’s Christmas like in the Harrington household then ? “

I expected him to boast then, about gifts aplenty and the big festive meal and all that shebang we normal people didn’t get to enjoy in just quite that extend.

To my surprise, he didn’t brag about his perfect Christmas, he looked — sad.

“ Mom cooks up a storm. Dad says it’s dry which makes mom sad. Dad gives her an expensive gift, like a necklace or earrings, to easy his guilty conscience for one thing or another. Then they give me something expensive too and take that as their free pass to voice everything about me that bothers them. So really, Christmas at the Harrington Household is one huge shit show of play pretend. “

It occurred to me then, for the first time in maybe ever, that Steve Harrington, with his perfect hair and his gorgeous smile, wasn’t immune to the emotional trauma so many of our parents were putting on us. Steve Harrington’s world shifted just a little close to my own then, and suddenly I could understand the gloomy mood and the frown.

“ Yeah well, my dad left us on Christmas eve a few years ago so now every year my mom locked herself in her room and cries and I watch it’s a wonderful life on tv and eat my bodyweight in chocolate. That’s not like the movies either. It’s why I do this job, to maybe help other people make happy memories. “

It went silent for a moment, just us caught in the heavy realisation that though we were as different as could be, maybe the things that mattered, the gnarly emotional stuff inside, were things we shared.

“ Look at us. Spilling our hearts to each other, looking like elves. That’s gotta be some sight to see. “

“ Well, just for the record, I think you make a pretty handsome elf. “

“ You think ? “

I made Steve Harrington blush two times that day.

“ Suits you too. The pointy shoes and the hat and all that. “

And in that moment, I felt something in my change. Maybe Steve the hair Harrington was more than a pretty rich boy. And maybe that “more” was something I could see myself falling for.

Christmas eve came faster than I would’ve liked and though it was freezing cold, snow was nowhere to be seen. The mall closed Santa’s workshop early to “give Stanta time to deliver all the presents” when in reality Jeff who played Santa had demanded they close it early because he had a flight to Cabo waiting for him that he couldn’t miss for anything.

I knew that I had to go home at some point even if all that was waiting for me was an emotionally unstable mother and the reminder that I wasn’t even good enough for my own dad.

Happy families were passing by me as I sat by the fountain in the middle of the mall, all wearing big smiles in excitement for the holidays to come.

A part of me would always be bitter about the fact that this wasn’t me and that my dad had effectively taken this from me.

“ So, I know tonight is Christmas eve and while I am miserable you relish in this season and probably have other things to do, but would you grant me a little bit of your time and let me take you somewhere ? “

Steve’s voice was soft and gentle as he stepped in front of me and held out his hand. I hadn’t even know he was still around, had assumed he had bolted the moment they let us off.

“ You want to take me somewhere ? “ I asked, slightly confused and desperately trying to conceal the blush undoubtedly spreading on my cheeks.

“ Yeah, if you want to ? “

As if there was ever a chance I would say no to that. So I nodded.

Steve took my hand in his and I prayed to god mine wasn’t clammy or cold. Because on the list of people I ever held hands with, holding hands with Steve was definitely on the very top.

We rushed through the mall, through the crowds of last minute shoppers and past the exhausted employees desperate to go home to their families. We only stopped once we stood in front of the big iron door leading out towards the rooftop.

Steve let go of my hand then and for a second I felt like something was missing, like his hand fit with mine so well I felt naked without it.

“ Okay, look. I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day. The thing about helping people make happy memories of Christmas even if we don’t have happy ones ourselves. Soooo … I thought it was time to create some for us. “

“ You wha — Holy shit! “

The door srung open and the view that revealed itself to me, left me breathless. There were fairy lights all over, strung from left to right and back again. A small fake christmas tree stood in the middle of the roof, decked out in baubles and ornaments. Bing Crosby’s voice echoed from a stereo, singing about a White Christmas.

It was like Christmas threw up onto this roof. I absolutely loved it.

“ Steve this is — gorgeous. “

“ Wait it’s not all. “

“ It’s not ? “

He rushed towards a big duffel bag placed in the corner and fumbled around in it for a moment before pulling out what I can only explain as a huge pile of red fabric.

“ What is that ? “ I said, stepping onto the brightly lit roof.

“ Your dress. “

“ My dress ? “

“ Your red dress. Well actually it’s a read coat, I couldn’t find a dress. I hope this works. Symbolism and all that, huh ?“

For the second time that day, may heart started beating faster and my breath seemed to fail me. He remembered my fleeting mention of the dress. The red “white Christmas” dress.

“ It’s perfect. Steve, this is too much.“

“ It’s not too much. You spend every day this month, helping other people make happy memories. You deserve this. “

I didn’t know what to say then, there aren’t really words that would’ve been enough to properly express how I was feeling then. Grateful. Excited. Half in love.

I didn’t say anything to him then, just hugged him. And it seemed to me then, as he returned the hug tightly and warmly, that maybe Steve Harrington didn’t get hugged half as much as he should have.

“ Thank you. “ I whispered. He didn’t answer, just hugged me tighter. That was all the answer I needed.

The coat was warm and cozy and felt like a blanket or pure warmth around me.

As I slipped into it, Steve looked at me in that special way every girl wants to be looked at. Like I was the best thing he had ever seen in his life. Like the world had stopped spinning for a second. And maybe this wouldn’t end up as some epic romance story but it meant the world in that one moment and that, I would cherish forever.

“ You look gorgeous, (Y/N). “

He was right. I did.

“ So, I’m a horrible cook which is why our dinner tonight consists of hot dogs on a stick, orange chicken from the chinese place downstairs and as a dessert — “ he said then motioned to the various styrofoam containers before him “ mcdonald's apple pies. “

“ Truly a festive meal. “

“ Very much so. Would you care to join me for this dinner ? “

“ It would be a pleasure, good sir. “

And so we sat down on pillows that we placed on the floor, Steve wrapped a blanket around us, and we started stuffing our faces in greasy fast food. Various christmas songs serenaded us as the night slowly crept up and took away the sun completely.

“ This is the happiest Christmas memory I’ve made in — a long time. “ I confessed to Steve. Steve Harrington who, just a few weeks ago, was but a thought in my mind of something that will never be.

And now here he was. next to me,cuddled up in a blanket. Making memories together.

“ I’m glad I get to be a part of it. Your dad really sucks for leaving you. But it’s his loss really. I think you should know that. “

“ Thanks. Well I think your parents should be proud of you. You’re — pretty great, Steve. “

“ Hey uh — “ he said and bit his bottom lip anxiously “ you ever been kissed under a mistletoe ? “

“ I’ve never even seen a mistletoe in real life, I think. “

“ Oh that’s good cause the mistletoe was sold out at the store and the next best thing I could get was a laurel branch. Let’s just pretend. That’s — if you want to. “

“ It’s tradition, huh ? “

“ Yup. “

“ Can’t very much break such a lovely tradition. “

And as he held the laurel, excuse me mistletoe, branch above our heads, and his lips met mine in a kiss so soft and warm, the first snow of the season started softly falling around us.

“ You’re getting a white Christmas. “ I could feel Steve murmur against my lips.

Oh I got so much more that night.

It is funny to think back to that year and remember the words he said about stupid traditions and the old man climbing into our houses. Because, as he tugs in our daughter and reads to her and tells her to go to sleep so Santa can come and eat the cookies they baked together and drink the milk they set out, it’s almost like he is more excited than our little girl herself.

I no longer wish for snow. All I’m wishing for is to be able to spend my Christmas with the people I love most. My little girl and Steve, the elf, Harrington.

_____

Taglist: Will add later, I’m too tired rn.

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington imagines #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fanfiction #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fanfic #stranger things imagines #stranger things imagine #xmas

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pixelsbichoice · 5 years

Text

Ranking Choices series by how Gay they are

A review no one asked for but an important one nonetheless

EDIT: Updated for latest books 6/29/19

The Freshman - While Zack, Kaitlyn, Becca, and Zig make this a sweet Gay Squad, the book has prominent bi-erasure if you date a man and forces you to deal with toxic Het Drama for multiple books that leaves you begging for the sweet release of diamond death to never come - 4/10 Gay but at what cost

The Crown and the Flame - Kenna is a bisexual Queen, but the fact that they don't give Dom a male li until awkwardly at the very end is tragic - 5/10 Could be gayer

Most Wanted - Look Sam is a Lesbian Icon(tm) but the narrative pushes for Sam and Dave - 3/10 Pretty Het

Rules of Engagement - Forces the MC to be with a man, doesn't give Party Twin a female li until the third book, and older brother's het drama is insufferable - 2/10 Some gay but too much straight to try

Endless Summer - MC can be a guy or a girl. Pretty gay, but the female lis are not treated as well as the male ones, also there are a lot of straight couples and the fact that Pirate Queen Yvonne ends up with a man? Tragic(tm) - 5/10 gay but could be gayer

LoveHacks - Points for the bi black man and the lesbians, but the first book paywalls its only female li to shit, only has the MC date men, and has Brooke end up with a man instead of Seerena - 3/10 Gay but too Het to handle

The Haunting of Braidwood Manor - Nothing but love a respect for my lesbian ghost girlfriend, but you have to pay to stay together (but it is only 17 diamonds and that is a bargain these days) - 8/10 Lots of lesbian love but at a cost

The Royal Romance - Largely forced to spend time with a man, has only one female li even though Olivia is literally right there, and has Penelope get with Kiara's brother even though Kiara is literally right there - 3/10 Very Het

Hero - MC can be a guy or a girl. Kenji is a BIcon but it takes a while to meet the only female li, also the Poppy and Dax het drama is too much - 6/10 Decently gay and has potential

High School Story - MC can be a guy or a girl. Besides the fact that we have to deal with the Het Tragedy that are Brian, Max, Kara, the dumb Autumn love triangle, and what the ever loving fuck is that set up your Dad with Emma's Mom nonsense, these books give a lot of LGBT+ rep - 7/10 Gen Z is the Gayest Gen

It Lives in the Woods - MC can be a guy or a girl. Gay Icon right here, we stan our Trans King(tm) King Kang, Ava and Stacy are female li legends, Lily is our beautiful Lesbian Queen, nothing like the raw gay energy of swinging a barbed wire bat at the undead - 15/10 GAY ICON

Home for the Holidays - One female LI, but at what cost? Can't play as a guy and forced to have dated one (1) man. Don't even get me started on Nick Peralta - 1/10 Literally ever Het Hallmark Christmas movie ever so RUN

Red Carpet Diaries - It feels like it should be pretty gay between the BIcon that is Seth, the Lesbian Legend that is Teja, and the absolute QUEEN that is Victoria, but man does it throw that all away to be SUPER FREAKING STRAIGHT between Matt and Hunt and paywalling the fuck out of Victoria - 3/10 RIP Gay potential

Perfect Match - MC can be a guy or a girl. Can choose to have your perfect match be a guy or a girl. A beautiful array of lis to choose from and they can all be yours because PB said Polyamory Rights! Even though there is some Het stuff with Nadia and Steve, it is actually tolerable. The President can also be a black lesbian and that's the America I want to live in - 10/10 Living my best gay thot life

Bloodbound - Even love interests whom? Sure you get two wonderful female love interests, Lily and the ultimate BI QUEEN Kamilah, but forget ever hanging out with them. This is the JAX AND ADRIAN SHOW ONLY BABEEE - 4/10 Not even a cheap Priya scene can help, PB said fuck wlw

Veil of Secrets - MC can be a guy or a girl. Ms. Harlenay is a Lesbian icon. Kate is a true BI disaster and the fact that we can only get with her romantically at the end of the book is the Biggest Tragedy of Choices - 6/10 It's fun and gay until you die alone bc you don't have enough diamonds

America's Most Eligible - MC can be a guy or a girl. You can thot it up and kiss so many people, Mackenzie is the only female li you can hang out with most of the time and there was one weird scene where Adam and Derek were super "no homo"??? - 6/10 Gay potential but oof the Het

Desire & Decorum - Only one female li, but she is Amazing. Mr. Chambers gay ass is the real MVP. God bless our non-homophobic gay ally of a dad (rip). But still this book got a lot of Het nonsense bc of the time period - 4/10 Press F to pay respect to our gay ancestors

Across The Void - MC can be a guy or a girl. Even number of lis with even screen time and your siblings can be gay too if they weren't so annoying and stealing your screen time - 7/10 Gay but it's hard to read

Big Sky Country - MC can be a guy or a girl. If you are a wlw, there is a lot of Het nonsense and it is hard to be with the female lis. If you are a mlm, ooh boy is this book Really Gay. Like literally every guy wants your city dick. Still there is some Het stuff - 6/10 Average; Life is what you Gay it

High School Story: Class Act - MC can be a guy or a girl. You can choose the gender of the li you are forced to have a crush on so that is nice. If you play as a guy your twin can be a Lesbian Icon and Erin can like girls but if you play as a girl it's like super het. Don't even get me started on Natalie and Clint - 6/10 Gay but oof

It Lives Beneath - MC can be a guy or a girl. Great even bunch of lis and our gay little brother is the most wholesome thing - 8/10 Good gay content minus you know all the Gore and Death

The Elementalists - MC can be a guy or a girl. Let’s hear it for Ace rep! Except the imbalance of li scenes and how Beckett is constantly forced onto you continues to put this book on thin ice, especially with the lack of flirting options for wlw - 5/10 Gay but lesbian struggles

A Courtesan of Rome - Forced to kiss men. Female characters treated like shit. Sabina stans deserved better. But Gay brother can get his happy gay romance. Caesar/Cleopatra/MC threesome said bi rights. Parents are the biggest gay allies. The biggest disappointment is the untapped potential - 3.5/10 RIP to anyone who hoped to romance Cleopatra

The Heist: Monaco - MC can be a guy or a girl. Allows you to choose gender of one your lis. Has the potential to have 3 female lis who are all iconic. But makes you pay for not 1 but 2 women crew members so having an all women crew is a struggle - 8/10 Let's go Lesbians!

Update:

Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance - Everyone thinks you and Logan are dating even if you haven’t romanced him in the slightest. Gay rep in minor characters but at what cost. - 3/10 We been knew of the het nonsense since we saw the tagline

Open Heart - MC can be a guy or a girl. If you are guy this book is great. Seriously Dr. ER always down for the BJ (sorry homophobes he BI!✨). If you are woman, HAHAHAHa. Only one female li who is forced to hate you for a few chapters. Seriously Sienna and Aurora and Kyra are right freaking there just give the wlw something!!! - 4/10 Gay but could do so much better

Passport to Romance - MC can be a guy or a girl. Even number of love interests except for the fact that one of the female li has a boyfriend for 75 percent of the book. Still this book is dreadfully boring or annoying which is sad because Sumire and Ahmed are wonderful. - 7/10 Gay but forgettable

Wishful Thinking - Story has MC spend most time with the two male lis, but MC, Anna, and Ellen working together to take down corrupt politicians ala Charlie’s Angels is awesome! The fact that you can sleep with Ellen coming out of nowhere like a dark horse? Amazing! - 5/10 Gay potential

Nightbound - MC can be a guy or a girl. Even number of love interests, but recent changes make it obvious the book wants you to lean towards Nik. Barely any scenes with Vera or Katherine. There is a gay fae and rock troll love story but you have to pay for it - 4/10 A fun supernatural story PB is forcing to be the next great het romance

Platinum - Can choose for your two main love interests Avery and Raleigh to be male or female which means you are not forced to romance men unless you want to! The women are so pretty it hurts. Get to kiss beautiful women for freeeee. Shoutout to non-binary audience. Every song is bop that fills me with gay pride. Only major downfall is you can’t choose to play as a guy. - 9/10 Move over Hayley Kiyoko there is a new Lesbian pop star in town

And Sunkissed is still up in the air while The Royal Heir is on the thinnest of fucking ices.

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spiderboysparker · 5 years

Text

Christmas in New York

Bucky Barnes x Reader (Modern AU)

Warnings- Fluff, Christmas, brief mention of toxic family and drugs and alcohol

Summary- (Y/n) grew up in a warm part of Australia with a toxic family life so she’s never had the good experiences of Christmas. Now that she’s in New York her co-worker and crush Bucky decides to show her what Christmas is all about.

Word Count- 3,060

Prompt- “I fell in love the way you fall asleep; slowly, and then all at once.”

A/N- This was written for my final story in Creative Writing. It’s the longest story I’ve ever written (and finished) and I did it within a week. I hope this isn’t trash, I haven’t really edited it or anything other than changing the name of the character.

It’s also for @angelhaz11 and @the-southernbelle‘s Holiday Rom-Com Writing Challenge! I love you guys and hope you enjoy this, despite me writing it while being stressed out from finals and rushing through it within a week. The prompt is in bold!

(Y/n) grew up in Australia, so when it got cold in New York it was hard to get used to. She wasn’t used to below freezing temperatures and having frost on her windshield. (Y/n) had bought a heavy-duty coat for the first time in her life.

She had moved to New York to get away from her toxic family, getting a life of her own without being forced into what either of her divorced parents wanted. Finding a job should have been hard, but then she met Natasha, who had given her boss a good word for (Y/n) and gotten her a job. It was a normal office job for a company, but it paid well and all of the workers were nice and were practically a family.

The only downside was her crush on her co-worker Bucky. He was handsome and sweet, one of the most polite men she had ever met. He and his friend Steve were inseparable, one would almost think they were a couple, but if you knew them you’d know they weren’t.

Sometimes (Y/n) felt like she didn’t belong. The group has known each other for years, and she only showed up a few months ago. Her co-workers were all quick to make her feel welcome though. They always included her in things and tried to inform her of things that had happened in the past.

December came, and everyone was full-on into the Christmas spirit. (Y/n) didn’t really understand it. Her family never celebrated Christmas, so while all of her friends celebrated she watched them in jealousy, wanting that love and joy that everyone else talks about around the Christmas season.

First, it was Secret Santa. Everyone drew names from a hat, a Christmas one of course, and they would have to get a fitting gift for the person they got by Christmas. (Y/n) felt panic when she drew Bucky’s name from the hat. What would Bucky want for Christmas? She doesn’t even know what kind of gift you give in this game.

When she asked Natasha, and all she did was smirk. “Why don’t you figure out for yourself? He doesn’t bite.”

The first time (Y/n) is introduced to snow, she’s in awe. She gasps and goes up to the big windows, watching the white flurries of snow fall gradually to the ground.

Bucky comes up by her side. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

(Y/n) nods “It’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

There’s a short pause before Bucky speaks “Have you never seen snow?”

She looks over to him and nods “It didn’t snow where I was from in Australia. It was always hot. I haven’t even had a proper Christmas before.”

She can see the shock in Bucky’s blue eyes, and then suddenly determination.

“Christmas is amazing, doll. You’re going to love it. I’ll show you what Christmas is all about.” He smiles softly at her before Stark tells them to get back to work.

At first, (Y/n) loves the snow. It’s beautiful and falls gracefully to the ground.

Until she’s late for work and her car is covered in snow.

When she woke up she looked at the time and realized her alarm hadn’t gone off. She got ready for work in a panic. Then she got outside to get into her car, and it was covered in snow.

(Y/n) let out a groan of frustration as she cleared off her car, praying she doesn’t get fired for being late.

When she gets to work, Stark scolds her for not calling to let him know why she was so late, but he doesn’t fire her.

As (Y/n) sits at her desk she grumbles “I hate snow.”

Bucky, at the desk next to her, chuckles. “I thought you loved the snow?”

She glares at him “That was until I slept through my alarm and my car was covered in snow. It took so long to clear it off and then heat up the car.”

He shakes his head “You’re a mess, doll.”

As December creeps by, (Y/n) starts feeling worried. She still doesn’t know what to get Bucky for the Secret Santa. Christmas is getting closer, and she’s starting to worry. Bucky said he was going to “show her what Christmas is all about,” but she still doesn’t know what that means.

But then she gets a text from Bucky, asking if she wants to go get coffee with him. She texts back, saying she’ll be ready in 15 minutes.

Almost exactly 15 minutes pass as she’s getting ready and there’s a knock on her door. She smiles as she sees Bucky, all bundled up in a winter coat and a scarf. He gives her a grin in return and waits patiently as she puts her coat on.

(Y/n) locks her door before they make their way out. The walk to the cafe is nice, breathing in the cold air and looking at the snow falling above them. The cafe is warm as they enter, the smell of pastries and brewing coffee engulfing them pleasantly.

“The best thing to get during Christmas season is peppermint mocha. It’s to die for.” Bucky says, and (Y/n) grins

“I’ll have to try it then.” She replies.

They both order peppermint mochas and apple strudels. They sit down and spend that Saturday afternoon chatting and getting to know each other. (Y/n) doesn’t feel nervous around him anymore, she feels comfortable like she can tell him anything.

“So what stopped you from having Christmas?” Bucky had asked later on.

(Y/n) sighed. “My parents divorced almost right after I was born, and I never knew my dad. My mom spent all of the spare money we had on drugs and alcohol. She never liked Christmas, so she never let me enjoy it either. All of my friends and family my age all got presents and a big fancy dinner, and I just stayed in my room to keep away from my toxic mother.”

Bucky stays silent for a moment, taking in her words. He puts his hand over hers to comfort her. “I’m sorry (Y/n), you shouldn’t have had to go through that. Christmas doesn’t always have to be that miserable, it can be fun and joyful.”

(Y/n) smiles softly. “I know, Bucky. It’s just hard for me because I don’t know any of the traditions or what Christmas is like for others. I’ve never had the snow and the family of people to celebrate with. I’ve never had gifts or money to get gifts for other people. I just don’t want to mess it up for everyone.”

Bucky cups her cheek, wiping away a tear that fell slowly from her sad eyes. “You don’t have to worry about that, doll. I understand that you haven’t had the best history with this holiday, but I want to make it better and show you how happy it can be. Can you trust me on this?”

(Y/n) nods slowly “Okay. I trust you.”

Christmas is slowly sneaking forward, (Y/n) decides to go shopping for gifts. She has ideas for all of her coworkers except Bucky. She gets gifts for everyone else easily, just roaming the mall for different things she knows they will like.

She stopped in a store to get some bathing materials when she sees it. As soon as she sees it, she knows it’s perfect for Bucky. It’s a snowglobe showing a Brooklyn apartment decorated Christmas with snow around it. In front of the apartment is a couple who looks eerily similar to (Y/n) and Bucky dancing in the snow. When you shake the snowglobe the snow falls over them. (Y/n) tips it over and spins the crank at the bottom and it plays the tune of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’.

(Y/n) doesn’t even have to think about it to know it’s perfect. She’s grateful for the option of the workers to gift wrap it. They put it in a cute Christmas box with a fancy silk bow at the top.

(Y/n) and Bucky gradually start spending more and more time together. Sometimes it’s just morning coffee, other times they go on dinner dates. The line between friendship and relationship gets blurrier and blurrier as time passes and (Y/n) hopes it’s not just her feeling this way.

It’s later in the evening and they had gone out for dinner. Despite it being cold outside, they decided to go for a walk through Central Park for an excuse to stay together and not have to go home so soon.

They’re chatting and holding hands as they walk. Suddenly (Y/n) slips on ice hidden under the snow and as she’s about to fall Bucky catches her, his arms wrapping around her to pull her back up.

She’s standing on her own now but Bucky doesn’t remove his arms from around her. It’s like they’re both in a trance, staring into each other’s eyes as their breath fans out in front of them in the cold.

Bucky leans forward first, so slow it’s almost as if he isn’t moving at all. (Y/n)’s eyelids flutter as she moves forward and connects their lips. They seem to forget where they are as they hold onto each other.

(Y/n) pulls back slowly, her eyes opening to see Bucky’s blue ones already looking down at her. She can’t help the sheepish smile and she lets out a small laugh, her breath coming out in wisps of white. She leans foreword and kisses him once more, desperate to feel his cold, chapped lips on hers again.

When (Y/n) starts shivering from the cold, Bucky pulls back slowly. “It’s getting late, doll. We should get you home.”

(Y/n) doesn’t protest, nodding slowly and stepping back. He keeps an arm around her as they make their way back to his car. He opens the door for her like the gentleman he is before getting in and turning the car on and starting the drive to her place.

The car ride is quiet, but not uncomfortable. Bucky puts his hand on her thigh gently as he drives, (Y/n) putting her hand over his. It’s like a silent confirmation of their feelings for each other, that the kiss wasn’t only in the spur of the moment, that it actually had feelings to it.

When he parks in front of her small home, he opens her car door for her and helps her out. They hold hands as he walks her up to her door. They stop in front of the door and she turns to Bucky.

(Y/n) gives him a shy smile. “So, is this a thing now?”

Bucky chuckles “You mean this?” He asks, squeezing her hand in his to imply what he’s asking.

She nods, looking down at their joined hands. “I’ve liked you for a while. I just want to make sure it’s a mutual feeling.”

Bucky cups her cheek in his other hand, looking into her eyes as he strokes her cheek softly. “I can assure you it’s mutual. I like you too, (Y/n).”

(Y/n) smiles and nods. “Good. This would have been awkward if you didn’t.”

Bucky laughs quietly. “Yeah, I guess it would have been.”

They stare into each other’s eyes for a minute, taking in the moment and the fact that they both just admitted their feelings for each other.

Bucky gives her a short sweet kiss before he backs away. “Go inside, doll. It’s cold out here.”

She nods “Okay. See you Monday?”

“See you Monday.” He confirms before (Y/n) goes inside and Bucky heads back to his car.

On Monday at work, everyone can tell something is up between them. With the smile on their faces and the lingering looks that they give each other. Everyone watches them suspiciously, unsure if they’re going to just look at each other or if they’re going to pounce on each other like wild animals.

Nobody says anything until lunch. Natasha sits across from (Y/n) and smirks at her. “So, you and Bucky, huh?” her only answer in response is (Y/n) blushing, and the redhead grins triumphantly. “Spill! I need the details!”

(Y/n) looks down at her sandwich, a small smile on her face as she thinks about their previous time together. “We’ve been spending time together a lot lately, but on Saturday night we kissed.”

Natasha laughs “I knew you guys liked each other, but I didn’t think either of you had the guts to actually do anything without someone forcing you together! Congrats, (Y/n). You deserve to be happy.”

The other woman just blushes and looks back up at her friend. “I really like him. A lot. He’s so sweet and caring, and he isn’t like other guys who think of themselves first. He’s a true gentleman.”

Natasha smiles “Of course, Bucky is about the best person you can find. And he likes you back too, so I think it’s perfect.”

The next time they spend time together is Tuesday. Bucky had sent a text, inviting (Y/n) over to his apartment to watch a movie. The idea seemed really intimate. It would be the first time one of them was in the other’s house and it made her nervous.

(Y/n) frantically looks around for what to wear. She doesn’t want to seem like a slob, but it’s just sitting on the couch watching a movie. She settles for leggings and a comfy shirt, hoping she doesn’t look like she didn’t put any effort in. The drive to his apartment is full of nerves, so she’s a little glad for the Brooklyn traffic to try and get her thoughts together.

When she parks in front of his apartment, she sits in her car and takes a deep breath. She tries to keep her thoughts in check, trying to push the nerves away. (Y/n) gets out of her car and goes up to the door. She knocks and steps back, waiting for the door to open.

Bucky opens the door and she can’t help but smile. He’s in a simple t-shirt and sweat pants, and she wonders why she panicked so much on what to wear. He opens the door for her to come in and she takes her coat off. He takes it from her and hangs it up on his coat hanger. He pulls her into a hug and she takes the warm embrace happily. She stands back after a moment and he leans forward and kisses her softly. (Y/n) kisses him back and pulls back with a grin. “Hello.”

Bucky chuckles, “Hello, doll.” He takes her hand and leads her to the couch in his living room, sitting on it and pulling her down next to him. She leans into his side and he wraps his arm around her as he presses play on the movie.

As they cuddle up and watch the movie, (Y/n) realizes she’s not nervous. In fact, all of her nerves went away as soon as Bucky hugged her at the door. She feels relaxed being so close to him, just relaxing with him with no expectations of anything.

(Y/n) can’t help but feel like she’s falling hard for Bucky. He’s been so kind and loving towards her, always doing something to make her happy.

When Christmas comes, she doesn’t really know what to expect. Stark’s house is decorated completely for the Holiday, and as soon as she walks in she can smell the ham roasting and can hear music playing. All of her coworkers are there, some of them dancing in the middle of the living room to the music, others just chatting and waiting for the food to be done.

(Y/n) is welcomed with a warm embrace, Natasha grinning from ear to ear. “You came! You’re going to love it, the food is so good.” The redhead carefully takes the pan of casserole out of (Y/n)’s hands, setting it on the table and taking the tinfoil off.

(Y/n) places the gifts she got under the tree before she goes around socializing. Bucky shows up right before dinner is ready, blaming the snow and hectic traffic for his late appearance. (Y/n) pulls him into a hug, kissing him on the cheek. “Merry Christmas, Bucky.”

Bucky grins and kisses the top of her head in return. “Merry Christmas, doll. Let’s eat.”

Dinner lasts a lot longer than (Y/n) expected. Even after everyone has emptied their plates they sit there talking and laughing for hours. (Y/n) has never felt so happy, feeling very welcome into this big family of people.

Once they’ve finally decided to clean up they bustle around the kitchen, some doing dishes and some putting stuff away. They get out the eggnog and set up A Christmas Story to play while they do gifts and Secret Santa.

Some of the gifts are legitimate and heartfelt, others are gag gifts they’re sure to laugh about for years to come. (Y/n) can’t help but feel nervous when Bucky goes to open her gift. He gives her a soft smile as he starts pealing the wrapping paper off.

Once it’s unwrapped, everyone looks at it curiously as Bucky admires it. (Y/n) waits anxiously for a reaction and smiles when Bucky sets it down and pulls her into a tight hug. “I love it, doll. It’s beautiful.”

After the gifts are finished, they sit and talk, sometimes just watching the movie. (Y/n) goes to the kitchen to refill her eggnog, and Bucky comes in after her. “I got you a gift too, but I felt I should give it to you in private.”

She turns to him, blushing as he looks down at her, holding out an unwrapped jewelry box. As (Y/n) opens it she lets out a gasp. It’s a beautiful heart necklace with sapphires around the heart. She slowly takes it out of the box and turns as Bucky brings it around her neck, latching it in place. She turns and kisses him deeply as a thank you, feeling overcome with joy and love.

As they both walk back into the living room, it’s then that she realizes how much she loves Bucky. He did everything he could to make her feel welcome and to show her that Christmas doesn’t always have to be lonely.

She realizes then that she fell in love the way you fall asleep; slowly, and then all at once.

Taglist and Requests open! Please heart if you liked it, and feedback is always appreciated!! Please reblog if you really loved it!

Taglist- @lamptracker @babyplutoszx2 @sydsquibbles @billhaders-sloppybitch @casualprincess77 @sendspidermanpics

#hazsangelswritingchallenge #bucky barnes #bucky buchanan barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky buchanan barnes x reader #bucky x reader #james barnes #james barnes x reader #james x reader

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silverarmedassassin · 5 years

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Day Six: A Christmas Date

Pairing: Bucky x Reader (College AU) Word Count: 4269 - sorry this one kind of got away from me whoops Summary: Bucky is desperate to find a date for his fraternity's Christmas party. You happen to stumble into the conversation at the wrong time. Or is it?

A/N: And we’re back! I’ve had a really rough past couple of days and couldn’t get any writing done, so I’m going to be playing catch up for the next few days. I hope to have days 7, 8 and 9 all out by tomorrow evening, but we’ll see. I have tomorrow off so I’ll have plenty of time to write and edit what I already have written! Enjoy!

2019 Christmas Masterlist

“Come on Stevie. Peggy has to have at least one cute single friend she can hook me up with!”

Steve looks over the top of the espresso machine he’s working with and glares at Bucky. His best friend is currently sulking over his coffee at the pick-up counter as he complains about this week’s girl issues. “Buck, I’m working.”

“But Dot’s gonna be there with her new boyfriend! If I show up alone, I’m gonna look like a total loser!”

“You’re going to look like a loser no matter what you do,” your voice chimes in as you walk up next to Bucky at the counter. You smile at Steve as he starts to prepare your usual order, and Bucky grumbles into his coffee. “What’s this one crying about now?”

“His fraternity is hosting a Christmas party and he doesn’t have a date. Word is Dottie’s gonna be there and Bucky’s freaking out.”

“Ahh,” you hum as you lean on your elbows and look towards Bucky. “What happened to the girl - was it Misty? - that’s been hanging around the past few weeks?

He glares at you as he straightens up. “It was Mandy. And we wanted...different things.”

“Oh, so she wanted something serious and you just wanted to get your dick wet?”

Bucky nearly chokes on his coffee, and you’re sure you’re going to have to call an ambulance on Steve for how hard he’s laughing. You can’t help but chuckle yourself as he leans over the counter to fist bump you between his wheezing.

“You know Buck,” Steve says as he attempts to steady himself, “you should take Y/N!”

“What!?” you and Bucky exclaim at the same time. Bucky in a panic and you shocked that Steve would even drag you into the situation.

“Yea! She knows you’re a terrible date, and she can put up with your shit. Plus, there’d be no,” Steve wiggles his eyebrows then, “expectations at the end of the night. And she’s the only one in the group that’s single.”

You scoff and cross your arms. “What about Carol? She’s not seeing anyone.”

“Everyone knows Carol is gay. It’d be too unbelievable.” Steve shrugs his shoulders like his suggestion is the obvious answer.

Bucky was quiet throughout the entire exchange while he fought his own internal battle. On one hand, he’d been considering asking you to be his date. Not out of desperation, but because he truly wanted to spend time with you, show you off not just to Dot, but to everyone.

But on the other hand, the sensible, realistic hand, he knew you’d laugh in his face if he’d ask you. Not that you were cruel, it was just that your friendship hadn’t always been as carefree and easy as it was now. Plus, he didn’t want to use you of all people to rub in Dot’s face.

The party was in less than eight hours, however, and he was getting a little bit desperate. Maybe Steve bringing up the date could really save him.

Fuck it, Bucky thinks to himself, I’m just gonna ask her.

“Yea! Come on, Y/N, be my date!” He puts on his best pouty face and bats his ridiculously long eyelashes at you. “Pleeeeease? Can’t you pretend you don’t hate me for just one night? I’ll buy you your coffee for an entire week straight. Please!”

“Okay! Okay, okay, you’re making a scene,” you shush Bucky as his pleas grow louder, drawing the attention of those sitting closest to the counter. “I’ll go with you, just stop!”

Bucky stops pouting and gives you an exasperated look. “Wait, really? You’ll really go with me?” He tries not to let the excitement seep through his tone.

You shrug nonchalantly. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to a good party. Plus, I’m never going to pass up free alcohol.”

Bucky bites his lip in an attempt to hold back a smile, but his excitement is too much to contain. “Yes!” he says as he punches the air. “You don’t know how much you’re saving my ass, really I-”

He’s cut off when his phone starts to vibrate. Pulling it out of his pocket, he looks back to you and Steve. “Listen, I gotta run,” he says as he starts backing up towards the front door. “I’ll pick you up at your place at 5:30, okay?”

Before you can respond, Bucky is planting a chaste kiss to the side of your head and running out of the coffee shop. You sigh as you lean back and watch him through the shop’s windows.

“You know, if you could just keep it in his pants for more than a day, maybe he could find someone to commit it.”

Steve slides your drink over the counter towards you as his best friend disappears down the street towards campus. “Yea,” he says, turning his gaze on the back of your head. “But I think the girl he’s really interested in is too far out of reach for him.”

You turn and grab your coffee and shrug. “I better get going too. You have a job to do and I have a dress to go buy! Thanks, Stevie!”

You wave as you make your way towards the front door, and Steve just shakes his head. “They’re such idiots,” he says under his breath before turning his attention back to his work.

When 5:20 p.m. rolls around, you’re standing in front of the mirror in your room, twirling side to side so that you can examine your dark purple, crushed velvet dress. The skirt, as your roommate Natasha described it, is a nice flirty length, falling midthigh. Although not too revealing, the dress still revealed enough skin on top to be a little hazardous. With the neckline scooping to just above the valley of your breasts, and the back going down just as far, you felt

“Are you sure this is okay?” you ask as you examine your backside again.

Natasha, who is sprawled out on your bed, sighs and looks up from her chemistry textbook for the fifteenth time in as many minutes. “I told you, it’s perfect. You’re going to have every guy at that party begging on their knees for your attention.”

You make eye contact through the mirror but quickly avert your gaze. “Yeah, but what will Buc-”

“What will Bucky what?” Natasha interrupts you as she sits up fully. “It’s just Bucky. Since when does his opinion on what you do or wear matter?”

You bite your lip. She’s right, it is just Bucky. But that was the problem. You’re not sure when just Bucky started causing your stomach to do somersaults and your heart feel like it was going to explode in your chest.

It’s not like you hadn’t known Bucky for almost three years. It’s not like you had fallen for his devilishly handsome looks the moment he stepped foot into your freshman English class. Or his ridiculous charm when you accidentally ran into him in the dorm hallway one morning when you were running late for class.

And it’s not like you’ve spent the last four years burying those feelings under every ounce of willpower you had. No, it’s just Bucky and his opinion doesn’t matter at all.

Except it does.

A knock on your front door draws you from your thoughts and does nothing to calm the cage of butterflies that had been released in your tummy the second you’d agreed to go to this party.

Natasha jumps off the bed and out into the living room. “Coming!” she sing-songs as she makes her way to the front door. “What a gentleman, coming to meet the parents before he takes ya on a date.”

“Nat” you grumble as you grab your bag and phone from your dresser. With one final look in the mirror, you sigh and turn off the light. Here goes nothing.

As you emerge from the hall, Natasha has already ushered Bucky into the apartment. Your steps falter a little when you catch a glimpse of him. He’s wearing your favorite red Henley and dark jeans combo with his worn leather jacket thrown over the top.

He catches your movement out of the corner of his eye and turns to look at you. A shy smile creeps across his face as he tunes whatever Natasha had been talking about with him out. She picks up on this, because she turns to look at you too.

“Oh goody!” she claps before pulling her phone from her back pocket. “Get together kids, I need to document this moment! It’s like you’re going to prom!”

“Nat,” you hiss as you make your way towards the door.

“Just one picture. We need to document the one and only time James Barnes has clean hair and looks like a right gentleman!”

One picture turns into five different staged photos, and before you know it Bucky is pulling at your arm to get you out the door. “I’m sorry Tasha, but we really have to go!”

“Be safe, kids! Use protection! I don’t any any grandbabies yet!!” Natasha calls after you, wheezing as she does so. You were going to kill her when you get home tonight.

You take a deep breath as Bucky pulls up in front of the massive fraternity house. The white colonial-style home, complete with columns and a beautiful front porch, was far too nice for a group of college-aged men to living, breaking and...doing god knows what.

“Nervous?” Bucky asks from the driver’s seat. He doesn’t dare rip his gaze from the line of cars in front of his.

“No,” you say far too quickly to be convincing. Why the hell were you so nervous?! “Are you?”

Bucky shrugs then and unbuckles his seatbelt. “First time seeing Dot since the breakup. It’s not my idea of a great party.” He turns to look at you then, a soft smile playing on his face. “But I’ve got a beautiful date to make me feel a little better.”

You roll your eyes and unbuckle your own belt. “Shut up,” you grumble as you shove the car door open. It’s like he knew exactly what to say to get under your skin and right to the butterflies.

Before you can even make it out of the car, Bucky is around to your side holding the door like the gentleman he isn’t. He sheepishly smiles when you give him a look and shrugs it off.

“Gotta make it look believable,” he says with a laugh.

As the two of you make your way to the front door, Bucky is stopped by a few of the guys. Fortunately, you know most of them since your group of friends spends a decent amount of time together, so no introductions are needed. A few of them do, however, side-eye you for a moment before patting Bucky on the back in a congratulatory manner. You try to brush it off as guys just being guys.

When you finally reach the far-too-grand front door, complete with an old-fashioned knocker, Bucky stops.

“Are you okay with me touching you?” he asks shyly.

“What?!”

“Not like...Y/N! I mean like, holding your hand, and dancing. You know, like boyfriend things.”

Please, you yell inside your head. Outwardly, you keep your calm.

“Get enough alcohol in me,” you say as you pat his scruffy cheek, “you can do whatever you’d like.”

If you’re going to make it believable, you might as well embrace the part, right?

Bucky practically chokes on his own tongue. “Right. Uh, shall we?” he says as he motions towards the door.

He guides you through the foyer and into the main room of the house where bodies were spilling out into the hall and into the smaller library and sitting rooms, hand firmly planted on your lower back. It seems like every other person you pass wants his attention, but he’s focused on getting the two of you into the heart of the party, probably to camouflage himself so Dot wouldn’t spot him.

“Hey. Bucky!” Christopher, who you know as the fraternity’s president, waves at Bucky from around a box of store-bought chicken. “I know you helped all day, but can you give me a hand with the rest of the food? It just got delivered.”

Bucky looks between you and Chris and sighs. “I’m really sorry,” he starts, shoulder dropping in defeat knowing he can’t possibly say no. He is one of the biggest and strongest of the brothers and was used to getting called upon to do the heavy lifting around the house.

“It’s fine,” you say waving him off. “I’m going to get a drink. Want your usual?”

He smiles at this and nods. “I’ll be back in five, promise!”

You watch him jog out the door Chris had just emerged from, and you turn to make your way to the kitchen. It was quieter, not as many bodies lingering around, so you decide you’ll camp out in there until Bucky comes back.

You’re just grabbing a beer for Bucky and wine cooler for yourself when a familiar voice calls your name.

“It is you!” Dot says when you turn around to see who was beckoning you. She hurries over and gives you a tight squeeze like it hadn’t been three months since she broke the heart of one of your best friends. Like she hadn’t destroyed the one person who’s happiness sometimes meant more to you than your own.

Taking one look at her, you suddenly feel very self-conscious. She’s an absolute vision in a deep evergreen dress that falls just above her knee. One thing you’d always loved about Dot was her effortless, vintage style. The dress screamed the 1940s and was something that would have made you look like you were in costume.

Her red hair was curled to perfection and framed her striking features perfectly. You were silly to think that Bucky would ever feel anything towards you when he had dated her for nearly four years. The encounter had you second-guessing why you’d even agreed to come to this party in the first place.

“How have you been? I miss seeing your smiling face every day!” Dot says cheerfully. In her typical energetic way, she doesn’t give you time to respond. “You look beautiful by the way! That color really suits you!”

“Not as beautiful as you,” a man you don’t recognize says as he walks up and wraps his arms around Dot’s middle.

“Oh hush,” she giggles as she leans into the kiss he plants on the side of her head. You shift your weight from side-to-side, uncomfortable with the exchange in front of you. It must catch Dot’s attention because she snaps out of the love bubble she had been in and looks back to you.

“Oh! I’m so rude! Y/N, this is Danny. Danny, Y/N.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Danny says as he extends one hand away from Dot to shake yours. You give a tight smile and return the gesture.

“Y/N and I ran in the same group for a while at the beginning of college. But, you know, life got in the way. It’s so nice to see you, though! I don’t think I ever saw you at one of these parties back when...” she just shrugs and decides not to finish the thought.

“Things change, I guess,” you awkwardly laugh.

Before things can get any more awkward, Bucky comes in through the door calling your name. He doesn’t see Dot and Danny at first, and so bounds over to you in two quick strides before wrapping an arm around your shoulder.

“I guess they do,” Dot says as she watches Bucky pull you closer into his side.

You want to preen at the obvious change in tone, an almost bitterness lacing her words now, but you know it’s just for show and she has nothing to actually be bitter about. This is the exact reason Bucky had even wanted you to come with him, and at least for his sake, it was working. Without thinking, you wrap an arm around his solid, broad middle.

“Dot!” Bucky exclaims in his smooth, confident tone you’d come to love. Bucky was nothing if not confident with the ladies, which is why he had a new one almost every week since the duo had broken up. He was also a great actor. You know for a fact that this confidence was just a front. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Surprise,” she says, pulling Danny’s arms a little tighter around her middle. Her gaze lingers on Bucky’s fingers as they start absentmindedly tracing shapes along your velvet-sleeved arm. “I didn’t know you two were...together.”

You can feel the rumble in his chest as he laughs. “Surprise!”

The tension in the room is so thick you could cut it with a dull knife. You look up at Danny who is glancing back and forth between Bucky and Dot, obviously not knowing what was going on. Unable to stand the awkward tension, you pat Bucky’s side gently to gain his attention.

“I’m, uh, gonna run to the restroom. Come find me when you’re done in here?”

Bucky glances at you and swallows hard. His eyes are pleading you to stay, but there’s nothing you can do to remedy the situation. Just like you’d told him on the way over, if he ever really wanted to let this go, he was going to have to talk to her sooner or later.

You take pity on him though and lean up to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be gone for just a few,” you whisper before releasing your grip on him and making towards the hallway.

When you emerge from the bathroom three minutes later, you can hear yelling over the music. As you make your way back towards the kitchen, you come to find that it was Bucky and Dot who was the source of the commotion.

Everyone has cleared out of the kitchen now, including Danny, so you choose to stay away. Deciding you’d rather not hang awkwardly around waiting for Bucky, and not feeling like striking up a conversation with anyone you know, you head out to the front porch. Luckily the weather has been mild this year, so you won’t freeze while you wait for Bucky to come to find you.

Ten minutes went by, then twenty, and you start getting a little antsy. There’s no way he was still in there talking with Dottie.

Despite the faux-date, you had been hoping to spend some time with Bucky. You thought that since he’d asked, begged you to come with that he would at least keep you on his arm while he made his rounds. But it was starting to look like that was not going to happen.

You check the time again and sigh, deciding that you’ll just call Natasha or even Clint to come to pick you up. You didn’t feel like wandering around the party by yourself, and you didn’t want to ask Bucky to leave in the middle just to take you home.

You shoot a quick text to Bucky to let him know what was going on, told him you weren’t feeling well and Natasha was coming to pick you up. It wasn’t completely a lie, just not the whole truth either. You call Nat and luckily she’s in the middle of a study break and agrees to come to get you in fifteen.

You wait for a text from Bucky, hoping it would be him telling you not to go, but it never comes. So when Natasha pulls up, you decide to leave the party, and hopefully your feelings for Bucky behind.

You’re awoken at 3:30 a.m. by your phone buzzing. You pointedly ignore it and turn over and try to go back to sleep. As soon as the call ends, another comes in immediately. You huff and roll back over, angrily yanking the phone from its place on your nightstand. Bucky Boy the caller id reads.

Before your tired brain can process what’s going on, the call ends and another immediately starts back up. “Hello?” you rasp into the phone, throat dry with disuse.

“Y/N!” Bucky slurs into the phone, obviously drunk. It startles you for a moment before you remember that he doesn’t need to drive anywhere since he lives at the frat house. “You left me at the party.”

You pinch the bridge of your nose and sigh, definitely not wanting to have this discussion with drunk Bucky, let alone sober Bucky. “I wasn’t feeling well so I came home.”

“But you looked so pretty and I didn’t even getta tell ya. I didn’t even getta dance with you!” You can hear him pouting through the phone and you can’t help but give a silent laugh.

“Buck, you’re drunk. Go to sleep.”

“No!” he shouts defiantly like a child. “Ya gotta listen to me, Y/N. Dottie...Dot, she tried to tell me that I didn’t really like you, that she could see through our facade. At first I got real mad, because that’s not what wasna sposed to happen. She was supposed to see us together, because it’s us, and get real jealous.

“But ya know what, Y/N, she was always jealous of you. ‘Cause you’re smart and caring, and funny and nice, and,” he stops to hiccup then. “And you’re jus so beautiful, ya know? She should be jealous of you because she’s not you and you’re you, ya know? And I know you’re gonna try and tell me I’m jus saying this ‘cause I’m drunk, but I’m not!”

Your head starts to spin a little as he continues talking. Every other word is slurred worse than before, which helps remind you of the fact that, yes, he is just saying this because he’s drunk. He’s drunk and upset about Dot so he’s projecting. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

“Ya know, I still remember that first day in English. I stumbled in half asleep and late and the seat next to you was the first one I saw. I hated it because it was in the front - I mean come on Y/N, who sits in the front of the classroom! - and vowed to never sit there again, but I did. I did every day for the rest of the semester and I’m so glad I did.

“You know why Dot doesn’t like you? Because I think she figured it all out before me. She broke up with me because she knew she wasn’t ever gonna live up to you. And I hate myself for only being able to tell you this while I’m drunk, but please, in the morning, make me say it again, okay? Because I like you and I think the feeling is mutual, but I’ve always been too scared to say something.

“And then stupid Dot came along and she was safe. I couldn’t ruin a friendship if there wasn’t one to begin with, so I settled. But I don’t wanna settle anymore, okay? So make me tell ya all of this again in the morning ‘cause I need to. You need to know.”

Tears start to drop down onto your cheeks, leaving salty trails as they do so. You’re not sure what to say, so you sit there and let him ramble on. You’d dreamt about this moment countless times before, Bucky confessing his feelings to you, but you never thought it would happen like this. Not when you’re half-awake with terrible bedhead and with Bucky three sheets to the wind. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, but you’ll take it.

Bucky’s quiet a little too long then, and you can hear his breathing over the phone as slowed a little. “Bucky?” you ask quietly into the speaker, but you’re met with only his soft breaths. He must have fallen asleep. Good. A sniffle a little before letting out a deep breath. “Good night, Buck. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

In the morning. Hopefully, in the morning everything he had just confessed to you would still stand true. That you would be able to confess your own feelings and something good could finally come from it.

You hang up and shoot him a quick text before you can second guess it. Returning your phone to its charger on the nightstand, you roll over and feel the butterflies come back. In the morning.

You: Hey Buck. Drunk you had some interesting things to say tonight. He wanted me to make sober you retell me everything in the morning, so I’m holding you to it. How about breakfast? We can make it a date. A real one this time.

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thatgoddamnflipphone · 5 years

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Steve/Tony Fic Rec List Part 1 - MCU Canonverse

Over 70 fic below the cut -- some in the middle still need summaries I will add over time.

These are listed in approximately the order I read them, so mostly random.

(MCU Verse. Comics Verses. Semi-Canon AUs. Full AUs. Post-IW. Still to come: a crapload of under 10k fic! To see the whole list as a Google Doc, go to tinyurl.com/streclist)

LAST EDIT: 8/30/19 - NEW FIC MARKED WITH ~

Guys and Bots by Scaramouche (@no-gorms). Follows the movies with the difference that they kiss at the end of AoU. Series with a hopeful ending (hey it’s CW it can’t be ALL happy). 32k https://archiveofourown.org/series/727023

Gained in Translation by Scaramouche (@no-gorms) . Short getting together fic between TWS & AoU. 11k https://archiveofourown.org/works/14020488

The Last Love Song of Anthony E. Stark by Jibrailis. Tony is infected with an Asgardian disease that causes slow memory loss. They travel to Asgard for a cure while he slowly forgets who and where he is. ANGST. 42k https://archiveofourown.org/works/349478

The Act of Creation Will Be Your Salvation by @scifigrl47. This is the first in a looooong series, the whole thing is pretty great but if you’re not into kidfic you can just read this first one, it’s self contained and phenomenal. Follows Tony from when he first creates Dummy through Avengers and beyond, focusing on his relationship with his bots (and then of course Steve). You WILL cry about robots. 85k https://archiveofourown.org/works/401961/chapters/662516

Four (Or Five) Reasons for Kidnapping Tony Stark by @scifigrl47. Also part of a long series, you can read the first two also but this is where it really picks up and she really gets a feel for the characters. Kidnapping! (Fairly mild) Torture! Tony being brilliant! Pining! Presumed dead! It’s tagged pre-slash but there is smooching so it’s really not. 78k https://archiveofourown.org/works/391599/chapters/642784

Sixpence In His Shoe by @scifigrl47. (Yes this is the same author again, get used to it I am a completionist and read everything.) This is one of the BEST accidental marriage fics I’ve read, omg. This ship is complicated by the fact that they are FAMOUS, so fake or accidental marriages have far reaching consequences that are fascinating to explore. This hits all my sweet spots. 103k https://archiveofourown.org/works/11443803/chapters/25647162

Lessons on how to be Worthwhile by @pensversusswords A beautiful Tony character study, hurt/comfort. 19k https://archiveofourown.org/works/2306576/chapters/5075171

Truth Behind Masks by @scifigrl47 MCU/comics fusion where Tony takes Coulson up on the “bodyguard” alibi at the end of IM1. The team thinks Tony & Iron Man are sleeping together, while Steve, of course, is falling in love with “both” of them. I adore Sam in this, there’s a scene with him and Steve that makes me cry every time. 98k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1523327/chapters/3221816

Christmas Holiday by @scifigrl47 A proposal, wedding, honeymoon fic where literally everything goes wrong in hilarious ways. Cracky but amazing. 19k https://archiveofourown.org/works/5474990

My Lost City by elise_509 42k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1008115/chapters/1999662

In the Stillness of Remembering by elise_509 A fandom classic. Just read it. 70k https://archiveofourown.org/works/557155/chapters/993923

As Sharp As Any Thorn by RurouniHime (@thegertie) Holy shit this fic. The angst is THROUGH the ROOF I had to stop reading a few times but damn it’s good (and happy ending!). Basically someone hacks Tony’s suit while he’s in it, causing him to attack the team and almost-fatally injure Steve. Steve spends a good bit of the fic in a coma and they don’t know if he’ll make it, while the public calls for Iron Man’s head, and Tony can’t get the memory of beating Steve out of his head. Damn. So good. 47k https://archiveofourown.org/works/725234

With Words Other Than These by RurouniHime (@thegertie) Post-mission adrenaline fueled comfort sex. Yes please. 14k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1012230

When Our Day Comes by @thepartyresponsible Ok this is super short but HILARIOUS so if you need something to read after some of the above angst … 6k https://archiveofourown.org/works/14764490

Evening Comfort by ann2who (@stark-spangled-lovers) Steve & Tony run into each other at a gay bar, decide to roll with it and pretend they are strangers. 21k https://archiveofourown.org/works/4734002/chapters/10819700

A New Way For Us by ann2who (@stark-spangled-lovers) TIME TRAVEL SHENANIGANS Strange sends Tony back in time to try and fix things before Thanos, prevent Civil War, etc. 24k https://archiveofourown.org/works/9825590/chapters/22062992

Serenity Oasis by @festiveferret Omggggggg. So they wake up at a couples resort with amnesia. Are they undercover? Did they get married for real? We Just Don’t Know, and neither do they! 20k https://archiveofourown.org/works/13147377/chapters/30070665

(what is hate) but jilted love by LemonGrenade Post-Civil War Fix-it, Tony is injured and recovering away from it all in a cabin. Enter the Snowed In In A Canadian Shack trope! 27k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15344694

Flower Child by @itsallavengers Tony overcoming toxic programming from Howard, learning to be soft, oh and Steve punches Howard when he shows up in the future so. That’s really all I needed to love this. 24k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15399303

Lost Together by @festiveferret A fun take on the soulmate mark trope - Steve & Tony end up in an alternate universe with soulmate marks, and have to both hide that they don’t have them and pretend to be a couple because Reasons. Tropey goodness! 68k https://archiveofourown.org/works/12282594/chapters/27918672

More Than the Average Good by @royal-chandler Tony is the one to find Steve after Bucky pulls him out of the river in TWS. He convinces Steve to come back to the Tower with him, where they grow closer but eventually the truth about Tony’s parents needs to come out. 16k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15219425

Guessing Game by @itsallavengers Sort of an ambiguous universe but it’s close enough to MCU. Tony wakes up not remembering the last 24 hours, with a hole in his leg, and Steve carrying him through underground tunnels to escape a Skrull invasion. But is it really Steve? 21k https://archiveofourown.org/works/12746256

Butterfly Dreams by Teyke This fic is a mind fuck with a happy ending. Steve is switching between two universes every time he falls asleep - in one, it’s post-CW and Tony is missing. In the other, Steve & Tony are on their honeymoon. Each feels real - which one is? 38k https://archiveofourown.org/works/8677540

Semaphore by DevilDoll "I’m trying to like you, Tony. You’re just making it very hard." 40k https://archiveofourown.org/works/314102/chapters/503103

All the Time in the World by missbecky (@missbeckywrites) Post-TWS, Steve’s team needs a place to land and end up at the Tower. When Steve & Tony quickly grow close, a stalker gets very irate. 38k https://archiveofourown.org/works/2646503

To the Victor by @thegraytigress OH BOY. Steve “dies” on a mission. Tony is certain he’s still alive - is he in denial? Everyone else thinks so. Hmm. BRING ON THE ANGST. 242k https://archiveofourown.org/works/8162986/chapters/18705922

The Trial Run by scaramouche (@no-gorms) 14k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15027899

Fix You by @thegraytigress 74k https://archiveofourown.org/works/5900494/chapters/13602163

Shiver by @thegraytigress 54k https://archiveofourown.org/works/10868364

Equivalence by @thegraytigress 28k https://archiveofourown.org/works/7312558

Falling Into You by @sabrecmc Fuck buddies until Steve loses his memory (yay Loki), Tony doesn’t tell Steve about their “arrangement.” Then feelings happen. 53k https://archiveofourown.org/works/3731302/chapters/8269387

I wanted to fix this (but couldn't stop from tearing it down) by @missbeckywrites 51k https://archiveofourown.org/works/529127

Better Angels/Lesser Demons by @sabrecmc A CW fix-it where Peggy leaves some home videos for Steve in her will. 34k https://archiveofourown.org/series/891720

Good For You by @orbingarrow “Steve doesn't understand why Tony dates people who abuse him. Tony doesn't understand why Steve cares.The rest is bad choices, good choices, rehab, milkshakes, paintball, YouTube videos, couples therapy and learning to put the past in the past. Or: How Tony finds his happy ending.” 42k https://archiveofourown.org/works/6093591

Into Words by @dirigibleplumbing 32k https://archiveofourown.org/works/14817710

I Am With You by @dirigibleplumbing Steve tries to adjust to life in the 21st century, with the help of his new team/family, and especially Tony. Great Steve character stuff. 25k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15166046

Never for the Dragon by @ladyshadowdrake (MCU/616 fusion) READ THE TAGS you will definitely cry. Like really seriously full on sobs. But it’s extremely worth it. 89k https://archiveofourown.org/works/7120420

Tensile Strength by sahiya 21k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15779712

all warm-blooded creatures by nanasekei (@elcorhamletlive) “From a very early age, Steve Rogers was aware that he was going to die of cold.” 13k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15196187

Hating Steve Rogers by nanasekei (@elcorhamletlive) I loooove fic where post-Avengers Tony goes from a lifetime of hate and resentment towards Captain America to falling in love with Steve Rogers. 16k https://archiveofourown.org/works/14813219

'Til Death Do Us Part by @itsallavengers Steve has to fake his death on a mission. SHIELD “forgets” to tell his husband. 15k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15905544

Home Is Where the Time Machine Is by @wordsplat There is NOT ENOUGH of this trope in this fandom! Steve & Tony’s daughter from the future shows up, tries not to spill the beans about them getting together. 23k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1030540

Stay With Me (home is where your mind is.) by sara_holmes (@captn-sara-holmes) 67k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1246060

Bond Has It Covered by sara_holmes 66k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1104870

Counterpart by sara_holmes 217k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1659452

when i run out of road, you bring me home by quidhitch 18k https://archiveofourown.org/works/16153091

Over Sea, Under Stars by vorkosigan 36k https://archiveofourown.org/works/8635870

Unintended by sheron 37k https://archiveofourown.org/works/13446870

i found a way to let you in, but i never really had a doubt by quidhitch 16k https://archiveofourown.org/series/1191442

In Your Warmth I Forget How Cold It Can Be by izazov 29k https://archiveofourown.org/works/13137222

In Dreams (Everything Makes Sense) by msermesth 42k https://archiveofourown.org/works/9924365

Die Hard (But Only If No Other Options Are Readily Available) by JenTheSweetie 24k https://archiveofourown.org/works/4702037

Things We Learned at the End of the World by JenTheSweetie 13k https://archiveofourown.org/works/14867777

An Infinite Number Of Monkeys At Typewriters (Or, Steve and Tony Finally Get It Right) by JenTheSweetie 19k https://archiveofourown.org/works/8310553

More Than Gravity by JenTheSweetie 21k https://archiveofourown.org/works/5502959

Of Things Lost in Time by erde Post-IW Steve gets caught in an AoU groundhog day ahhhhh! 16k https://archiveofourown.org/works/17217959

Love's Such an Old-Fashioned Word by scaramouche 11k https://archiveofourown.org/works/17344631

Never Eye To Eye by vorkosigan 26k https://archiveofourown.org/works/8776729

Of Books and Memories and Snow by vorkosigan 22K https://archiveofourown.org/works/10876335

Lost in Transcription by Veldeia Cool science-based canonverse soulmate AU - science has recently discovered genetic markers for soulmates. Uh oh. 25k. https://archiveofourown.org/works/13982646

And The Void Would Be Calling. by jadedoll 17k https://archiveofourown.org/works/387387

Sticky Business by OftheLilies 19k https://archiveofourown.org/works/12976434

All These Half-Tones of the Soul by nostalgicatsea Angsty retelling of canon as a soulmate au. 23k https://archiveofourown.org/series/994596

Overhaul by Annie D (scaramouche) 19k https://archiveofourown.org/works/17846375

Northwest to Nowhere by Veldeia 17k https://archiveofourown.org/works/5456477

Untapped Opportunities by Serinah The classic “they meet on a cybersex site but don’t know who they are talking to” with lots of fluff, angst, and porn. BDSM. 62k https://archiveofourown.org/works/16106627

the things we invent when we are scared by nanasekei 18k https://archiveofourown.org/works/17946077

Resistance by thegraytigress The worldbuilding and OCs are amazing in this, but mind the tags - loooots of torture and hurt/comfort. 426k (no that’s not a typo lol) https://archiveofourown.org/works/7469145/chapters/16973895

Symmetry Breaking by scaramouche (@no-gorms) I probably have this down with EG fics too, but it mostly belongs up here. Takes place in the branched 2012 timeline where Loki took the Tesseract. I want a million fics in this universe! 10k https://archiveofourown.org/works/18627655

The Butterfly Effect by @itsallavengers Same as above, 2012 branched timeline. YES MORE PLEASE! 20k https://archiveofourown.org/works/18617755

To Have My Time Again... by @wilmakins A post-CW rewrite of Infinity War, including accidentally dragging Howard forward in time, and addressing Steve choosing between the past and the future in a much more in-character way than EG did <cough>. 166k https://archiveofourown.org/works/16654939

Name Recognition by OscarTheSlouch Steve wants to take Tony’s last name. Tony has a bunch of hangups about it. Featuring sad baby Tony flashbacks! 14k https://archiveofourown.org/works/11690337

Even the Light is an Illusion by Mizzy This is technically MCU, but was written very early so borrows a lot of characters and canon from 616. Tony has to fake his death for reasons, angst ensues. 102k https://archiveofourown.org/works/507292

Though Your Face Is Lovely by @chibisquirt Noir!Tony ends up in MCU!verse. Cue jumping into bed with Steve and MCU!Tony extreme jealousy! MCU SteveTony is endgame. 14k https://archiveofourown.org/works/10930653

He Knows More Than You Do by ChibiSquirt Pretty much 35k of cracky porn with feelings. A lot of medical kink stuff, pay attention to tags. 35k https://archiveofourown.org/works/11683599

If the Words Are True by @msermesth Someone leaks old love letters from Steve to another man to the press. Tony helps deal with the aftermath. 10k https://archiveofourown.org/works/11249832

For the Wheel's Still in Spin by Arukou A retelling of early canon, Steve’s months after getting thawed and the Battle of NY, and how the Avengers slowly became a team. 57k https://archiveofourown.org/works/2680208

Binary System by scaramouche 13k https://archiveofourown.org/works/19077304

In a Different Light by marinarusalka 20k https://archiveofourown.org/works/542966

Here's Looking At You by mariana_oconnor I love post-Avengers Tony learning to see Steve for who he really is, and not just the hero from history. 12k https://archiveofourown.org/works/19349692

Fireside ‘verse by @gotthesilver A very real and human look at a post-Endgame world where Steve & Tony can’t quit each other, but Tony still has a family. Love is complicated and messy. 29k https://archiveofourown.org/series/1429378

we must love one another and die by @theappleppielifestyle Tony realizes Steve was frozen when Lord of the Rings came out, leading to mutual bonding, book club, and lots of Frodo-related Steve feels. Don’t miss this one, it’s phenomenal. 14k https://archiveofourown.org/works/20168623

~Playing the part (remix) by nanasekei (@elcorhamletlive) A fake marriage post-CW fix-it? Sign me the fuck up! 10k https://archiveofourown.org/works/20330893

~All the Love You Hold and Hide by Mireille Fuck-or-Die trope with feeeeeelings! 17k https://archiveofourown.org/works/14402436

#stony fic #stevetony fic #stony #stony fic rec #stevetony #streclist #added a few more summaries and tags #I'M GETTING THERE

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imamotherfuckingstar-lord · 6 years

Text

All We Want For Christmas, pt. 1

Steve Rogers x Reader

A/N: Marvel AU. Will be a few parts. PG-13

Warnings: divorce, therapy, childhood trauma.

Summary: Two years after divorcing, Steve and you live separate lives. Christmas is a hard time for the two of you, but this Christmas, miracles are up in the air. Will the two of you reunite and move past the hurt? Or will the two of you be alone under the mistletoe?

The city was alive with Christmas spirit and joy, well mostly.

Steve Rogers was trailing alongside his best friend, Bucky Barnes - listening to him spew out a list of gifts he still needed to get. Steve listened half-heartedly, not because he was a bad friend, he was a great one, but because this time of year brought back painful memories. It had been nearly two years since he had divorce papers drawn, not knowing what else was left in a marriage he once thought was his biggest purpose in life. He had not planned it to happen during the holiday season, but he just couldn’t go through another empty Christmas celebration with a wife who didn’t seem happy. Steve was heartbroken when he finally presented the papers to you, placing them down beside your laptop. You were working on a think piece for the online magazine you worked for, and when the papers landed in your line of sight, you let out a sigh.

That killed him the most, the relief in your eyes when he said he’d being moving out with Bucky. That he didn’t want much but what he came with and if it was fine, the large oak bookcase the two of you had bought at a flea market two summers ago. You agreed, eyes drifting back to the computer screen, and when Steve finally walked away after a few seconds, he heard the tapping of your fingers on the keyboard.

“You seem distracted.”

“This isn’t exactly my favorite time of year.”

Bucky paused for a long second before stopping Steve midstep, hand on his shoulder. “It’s been two years, you just going to hate Christmas for the rest of your life?”

“I don’t hate Christmas, Buck. I don’t hate anything, I just don’t feel up to it this year.”

“That’s what you said last year,” Bucky remarked, nodding to a corner cafe across the street. “I need some caffeine, maybe some will do you good.”

The two men crossed the street and walked into the warm cafe, a steady buzz of talking and the calling of orders filled the air as they approached the counter. Steve’s attention went to the baking goods in the display as Bucky order two coffees, asking if he wanted a muffin. Steve declined, wandering off to an empty table in front of a large window. He sat down and took off his jacket, tugging at his blue henley. He stretched his feet under the table and crossed his hands against his chest. Knowing he was being a regular Grinch, he tried to relax and let himself smile. His shoulders relaxed as Bucky approached, sitting down with a wide smile.

“I think I’ll get Clint a gift card from here, he basically runs off coffee.”

“You could get him one of their reusable mugs too,” Steve added, trying to sound more positive. “I think he’d like that.”

Bucky’s face lit up just as his name was called - he quickly got up and pointed to the display case behind Steve. “Go find a mug, I’ll get the coffee.”

Watching as his friend walked away, guilt riddled Steve’s chest. He was faking it and fooling his friend in thinking he was fine, when he clearly wasn’t. Hadn’t been since you signed the papers - god, he was such an idiot thinking you’d change your mind. Getting up from his chair, Steve walked over to the mugs and started going through them, coming across a purple one he thought would suit Clint. Satisfied, he turned to find Bucky back at his seat, coffees on the table. He made his way back and placed the mug in front of Bucky, but as he started to tell him about the mug, someone caught his eyes through the window.

….

“The question is do you think you’re ready to date?”

“I’m not sure, I think I’m in a better place than I have been in years.”

“Well, let’s start from there.”

Holding the cell phone to your ear, you waited at the stoplight and watched as people passed by. The city was buzzing with life and you had to admit how good you felt. You had been in therapy for a year now, trying to rebuild years of damage brought on by cold parents and a failed marriage that you took the entire blame for.

“My friend suggested Tinder, what do you think?”

“What was your initial response to their suggestion?”

Sighing, you started crossing the street to the corner cafe - wanting to grab coffee before heading to work. You were editing now, instead of writing the stories. It wasn’t like you didn’t write, but now when you did write, it was for you. There was no more pressure to write some brilliant, smart story on the political climate of a country or the dangers of deodorant.

“I think it’s silly,” you confessed, stopping in front of the cafe. “I’m not really into meeting someone online, I like meeting people face to face.”

“There’s your answer.’

“Right, well...I need to go. Thank you for taking my call.”

Katie, your therapist, said that’s what she was there for. “I’ll see you on Tuesday, but call if you need to.”

“Thank you.”

Hanging up, you felt a wave of relief lift off your shoulders - life had been hard after the break up, you like to think of your marriage as a houseplant. It was exciting to have and at first you were so eager to take care of it, you watered it everyday, and then one day you forgot to water it. A day turned into two, then three, and before you knew it - it was dead in the corner, next to the stack of unread books.

It wasn’t the greatest analogy, but it put things in the simplest perspective.

Walking into the cafe, you were greeted with a rush of warmth, prompting you to unravel the scarf around your neck as you approached the counter. A young woman greeted you, asking what you’d like. Ordering four coffees, you paid and moved off to the side, waiting patiently for your order. Your cell buzzed with a text and when you took it out, you saw it was your coworker. Replying back that you were getting the coffee, you shoved the cell back into your pocket and walked over to the baked goods display, deciding if you should get a muffins too.

“I had the muffins here once, they were good.”

Your body tensed as the familiar voice graced your eyes - a voice you had love hearing over the phone during the first weeks of your relationship, when the two of you would stay up all night to talk. The voice that was groggily in the morning and whined when his coffee became too cold. It was the voice that belonged to your ex-husband.

WANT TO BE TAGGED? LEAVE COMMENT OR SEND ASK ONLY.

Forever tags:

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@iminlovewithasuperboy @loverbug1123 @sugerquill @starmission @pineapplebooboo @justanotherfangirl272 @battlebunnyteardropsinthesun @liamssmiler @ludwigs-a-monster @mad-girl-without-a-box @k8tie-a-934 @dr-pepper-only @allltheships @showtimeaholess @thxsoldixrrolxplay @esoltis280 @bass-clarinette @sebastianstanslefteyebrow @dsakita @cwar1864 @theonlyparadox @faithtrustandpixiedust95 @theweirdlunatic

@marvhellove @kjs-s @aredlily @sami-raye @lucifersnipnips @feelmyroarrrr @darkshadow3492 @lianasparklezstuff @ajduurikscjsja @morgan-atr @theflowerswillbloom @coffee-stained-tongue @lowkeyxloki @cannonindeez @astro-sim-dog @fireboltrose7559 @iridescent-gxmora

@slither-in-a-half @fangirlftshipper @lost-in-the-stories @maheelumos123 @nurnwasburned-nowimhomeless @shamelessbookaddict @stevieboyharrington @princess76179 @the-criminal-soldier @tylerrose931617 @danicalifonia25 @an-enchantingmuse @sheridans-dynamos @problematic-artist @fatefellshortthistime @ilovetvshowsblog @piensa-bonito @sourwolf-sterek32 @crazyinspiration @malfoysqueen14

#steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve x reader #marvel imagine

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ledenews · 6 months

Text

An OPEN LETTER to ... Parents of Rotten Kids Like Me ...

(Publisher's Note: This is a column I wrote a number of years ago about a lesson learned one Christmas morning during my childhood. It is a story of love, compassion, understanding, and maturation, and it's a story about my mother, a wonderful lady I've missed dearly since she passed on September 28, 2021. - Steve Novotney) I was misbehaving. A lot. And I was told I was on the naughty list. But that meant nothing to me because the Santa secret was out, and I didn’t believe my mother. Over and over again, she warned me, but I failed to care as a 12-year-old-know-everything kid. I was too cool to behave. Ornery was my way of life, and I liked it. In December 1978, I was a paper boy for 60 customers in the Woodsdale section of Wheeling. On weekdays, I delivered the newspapers in the afternoon after school, but on the weekends I had to awaken early for morning delivery. On Sundays and holidays, my father always helped me because the editions in those days were larger than normal thanks to holiday advertisements. But on this Christmas morning, my father refused to assist despite the fact the streets and sidewalks were snow-covered just as they were most of the time that winter. I was told to take the wheeled cart to the front porch instead of the living room. So I put the ads and cartoons together with the day’s edition, placed the papers in the cart, and off I went. I delivered to homes on Lorraine Terrace, Edgwood and Walnut streets, the Edgwood Club, and Woodlawn Court. The corner of the 12th and Market was once known as the busiest in the state of West Virginia. I had a system, and I followed it that morning, too. As I walked up and down the stairs to each porch, I still did not believe my mother and father would cancel my Christmas. I couldn’t have been that bad, right? I mean all I ignored were my mom’s constant requests for cleaning my bedroom, hanging up my clothes, putting dirty garments inside the hamper (as opposed to a hallway jump shot), and not walking on the carpet with muddy shoes. That’s not a lot, right? Upon my return to my home on Lorraine, I folded up my cart, put it where it belonged on the front porch, and went to the front door. It was locked. Knocking didn’t attract an answer. I had to ring the doorbell, and then my father swung open the door and walked away. Our front door led to a foyer. To the left was the dining room, and to the right was the living room where the Christmas tree stood. As I walked into the house and looked around, I was stunned to discover that Christmas, for my older brother and younger sister, had taken place. They both just stared at me. I looked at my mother, and I can still recall her disappointed face. My father was the first to address me: “Steve,” he said in that do-this-now tone, “Get a garbage bag and clean up all of that wrapping paper.” I looked over at a very large pile of the prettiest wrapping paper and bows I had ever seen in my short life. My siblings had just experienced the most glorious Christmas in our family’s history. My brother’s list was completely satisfied, and I believe my sister received more than she even asked for. I sulked my way to the kitchen in absolute disbelief. What had I done? Do they all hate me now? No Christmas? I returned to the living room, and by then my brother and sister had resumed playing with their new toys. The pile of paper was situated in front of the mantel, and I scooped and I scooped and I scooped armfuls of those beautiful bows and colorful paper into the garbage bag while wishing I could have opened just one present. As I neared the end, I noticed something at the bottom of the pile. It was some sort of box, and I knew it wouldn’t fit in the garbage bag. I asked my mom, “What do I do with the box?” She replied, “Just get the paper cleaned up.” Yup, she was angry with me. I mean, angry – the kind of emotion not often seen unless you crossed a line by an unbelievable mile. I had only seen that look a few times and not one of those occasions worked out well for me. I immediately turned to what remained of the pile and finished. I then examined the box, realized it was unopened, and reported to my father. “I think someone missed one.” He replied, “Well, see what’s in it, and we’ll know whom we missed.” I pulled my penknife out of my pocket and cut the tape on the top and then on the sides, just as my dad had taught me. After I pulled the lids open, I saw it. It was it. The one thing I wanted for Christmas. The National Panasonic three-in-one stereo complete with a turntable, cassette deck, AM/FM stereo receiver, and the ability to record vinyl onto something called a cassette tape. A "bad boy" was a a bady boy back in the 1970s. and sometimes lessons had to be learned. And they must have bought it for my brother. I swung around to my mother with incredible disbelief. How could they? And then my mother said, “Merry Christmas, Steven.” So it’s for me? The stereo I asked for and prayed for? The one thing I had considered actually sitting on Santa’s lap once again hoping for some kind of good luck? I rushed to my mom and hugged her tightly. I knew tough love was better than no love. She then said, “Now when I ask you to do something, will you please do it?” “I will, I will, I will, I will … I promise.” Of course, I failed to keep that promise as a child, but on that Christmas Day I certainly did. I immediately picked up my new stereo and hauled it into my second-floor room. I knew exactly how I would set it up, but when I approached the dresser on which this miraculous unit would rest, it was covered in clutter. I looked around the room, and it was a mess with clothes strewn everywhere, and notebooks, a basketball, a football, a bunch of baseballs, and my glove were all over the floor where I had tossed them. I placed the new stereo on my unmade bed, and I cleaned my room. Dirty clothes deposited in the hamper; church pants and shirt hung in the closet; books and notebooks returned to the shelf; and all socks and shirts and sweaters folded and placed in their proper drawers. And then I plugged IT in, and for the first time in my life I could listen to my treasured LP records all by myself. For a few years I had been forced to use the record players my parents had in the living room and in the basement, but on this day Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music” sounded sweeter than ever before. And then KISS? “Calling Dr. Love”! I was rocking in my own sacred haven, and it was glorious. My mother soon checked in on me once she heard the music blaring from my bedroom. “Oh my Lord, you made your bed.” And that’s all she said. She didn’t even order me to turn the music down. Not at that time on that day. For my mother, I believe she believed she had witnessed a Christmas miracle. Read the full article

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thephantomofthe-internet · 6 years

Text

Homeward Bound: Chapter 1

Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader, Billy Hargrove x Henderson!Reader

Word Count: 2,015

Warnings: swearing, death mention, general fear and anxiety

Author’s Note: So this, with any luck will a series if y’all like it!!! I’m really happy with what I’ve written thus far. I know this chapter isn’t exactly thrilling, but it’s the preamble to what the story will become. If you like it, send a comment or ask, I really wanna know what you’re feeling on this one, cause if you hate it I won’t continue. Also, might change the title cause it’s shit! Anyway, enjoy!

Permanent Tag: @hotstuffhargrove @denimjacketkisses @flamehairedwritings @lilmissperfectlyimperfect @steveharringtonofficial @giftofdreams @feverxxdream

Feedback Appreciated!!!

Leaving Hawkins was the right choice. After your parent’s divorce and the mess that was the disasters in Hawkins’ Labs, your family being heavily involved, you were more than happy to take your government pay out and move as far away as possible. So while Dustin finished off his years at Hawkins High School, you pursued a law degree at Berkeley. Then, you switched to teaching. Then, you dropped out altogether. You wrote your first novel in parts, mostly in a well-worn spiral notebook with chunks coming in from napkin and coffee sleeve scrawling while working in a coffee shop in San Diego, watching struggling actors chase hangovers with caffeine and Valium and sitting through the careless flirting from rogue beat poets and other moustachioed hipsters.

But you were fabulously happy. Sure, every so often, when money was tight and morale was down, you thought about going home. But then you remembered that home meant Hawkins and Hawkins meant reliving the day your best friend Heather was eaten by demo-dogs right before your eyes. You couldn’t bear the thought of repeating that memory over and over again in your head. You couldn’t bear to see if Hawkins had moved on without her.

And besides, you could breathe easy away from your old small town. Nobody knew you, at least not by what happened to you and your family, and those who recognized you kept away. You could easily blend in to the crowds and not stick out as the girl who survived the labs. You felt free and easy, calm for the first time in years.

So, you stayed where you were. You made excuses on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter every year like clockwork. You flew out to Chicago to see your dad once, if only because Dustin was going and you missed him like crazy. He understood, of course. If not for Lucas, Mike, and Max still living in town, he would’ve moved in with dad and Marnie in a heartbeat. He called as often as he could, telling you tales of triumph and woe.

In his last call, he’d spent thirty minutes bragging about how many girls asked him to prom, including the first girl to ever spurn him, Stacy Canfield. He had delighted in rejecting her the same way she did him way back in the eighth grade. But now, on the phone, he didn’t sound so pleased.

“So? Did Marcy say yes or not?” you giggled excitedly, pressing the phone tighter between your shoulder and head as you leaned down to paint your pinkie toenail neon pink, the wet polish shiny on your toes.

“Huh? Oh, yeah she did…” Dustin mumbled on the other end and you swore you could practically hear his feet shuffling awkwardly all the way in California, a leftover from his guilty toddler years.

You sighed, shaking your head slightly, you long mismatched earrings clattering against themselves. “Alright, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing!” Dustin cried.

“Dusty, you spent months talking up this chick, you finally land her and all you can say is ‘oh, yeah’? Something’s bugging you so just tell me.” You insisted, dropping the tiny brush back into the tiny bottle, waving your hands over the wet polish.

He sighed “It’s just…I’m graduating soon and mom’s on my case about inviting you down and I don’t want to make a big deal and I know you hate Hawkins…”

“Stop.” You interrupted, silencing him in an instant. “Do you want me there?”

“Yes.” He gulped, his voice shaky and awkward and small; like a boy trying to hide the voice cracks of puberty.

“Then I’m there.” You replied swiftly, smirking as though you’d won. Truly you had.

“But what-” he started again, causing you to groan loudly.

“Ah! Don’t worry about me! Worry about exams and prom and Marcy! Have mom call me with the date and I’ll book a flight.” You promised.

This made Dustin happy, which was the ultimate goal, but it planted a seed of anxiety in your stomach that could not be soothed. You suffered through calls from your mother, filled with tense excitement and worried questions. You pushed through the fear, you bought the ticket and gave your editor your mother’s phone number. You packed your bags and handed your neighbour, Stella, your spare key and the twenty dollars you’d promised her son Georgie to water your plants.

You got on the plane, manuscript in hand, ready to edit the novel you’d spent nearly three years on, your editor’s initial notes running through your head. The flight was four hours long, then you’d have to drive from Indianapolis to Hawkins, a nearly five hour drive. Your day was set to be long and awful and it made you want to turn back and not coming back, returning to the warmth and comfort of your tiny apartment.

But you pushed through. You owed Dustin that much. You felt like a terrible sister having never come to visit, but you pushed away that feeling. You’d be home in nine hours and you’d have a full two weeks with the younger boy you adored so much. You just had to push through the journey, to hell with it being the true adventure; you knew coming home would be more intense than getting there.

Still, the drive was filled with the same sickly memories of leaving Hawkins for the first time. It had been a day trip with your almost boyfriend, Steve, just into Chicago to find the child killer their only believable source, Jane, had described.

Steve.

You hadn’t even thought about him when you were planning your trip back. He was still in Hawkins, as per his mentions in Dustin’s letters. The two were still thick as thieves, the older brother Dustin never had. Of course, you were still happy that he hung around with your brother, even after your friendship and “relationship” fell apart. You always worried that once you two became friends, he’d leave Dustin in the dust, but he didn’t. You worried that he was just using Dustin to get in your pants and he’d stop when he got what he wanted, but he didn’t. You especially worried that he’d stop hanging out with Dustin when you two fell apart, but he didn’t. Now, with you gone, you hoped their friendship was strong. You hoped that with you there, Steve wouldn’t be put off from coming to see him, from going to his graduation.

You two had not ended well.

Hopefully, that wouldn’t get in the way.

As you drove down the interstate, your mind flashed memories of going the opposite way.

September 1986, a late summer breeze blowing your hair out of your face as you stuck your hand through the wide open window, fingers wiggling in the breeze, a smile on your face so effortless and bright it could rival the sun, R.E.M’s The One I Love blasting through the speakers, Steve’s not-so-secret latest favourite song. He was singing along, off-key of course; Steve wasn’t exactly a fabulous singer, his fingers tapping out the rhythm on the steering wheel. You were laughing at his awful British accent, watching him for a beat longer than usual, mouth open in the aftermath of the laugh, still smiling. The sun was beginning to set, golden hour slowly shifting its soft light over the sky. You’d left late, Steve’s fault, he’d woken up late and spent too long choosing the appropriate road trip snacks.

“It’s an important decision, Y/N.” he insisted inside the grocery store, mulling over bags of chips. “If done incorrectly, this could ruin our entire trip!”

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head. “This is so stupid…” you muttered, stalking off to grab a bag of jerky, which wasn’t on Steve’s list but ultimately saved his snack collection once you were on the road.

It would be night soon, you’d have to eventually stop and rest or switch drivers. You weren’t necessarily comfortable driving at night, but Steve had insisted on driving the first shift, claiming that he wouldn’t know where you were going if he wasn’t in the front seat, with you holding the map. Jane had told you to simply take a Grey Hound bus, like she had, but you weren’t interested in sharing public space for hours, besides you’d still have to drive to the Grey Hound station, three towns over.

But watching Steve in that moment, you felt it for the first time-love. Or something like it. Him golden in the sunset, wearing a goofy smile as he sang along to the radio, his sunglasses slipping down his nose, freckles poking up from the sunlight. He looked…well stunning. His hair had deflated hours ago, his forehead caked with sweat, a light sunburn on his neck and shoulders, his shirt stained with sweat. By no means was he at his peak, but he looked so at peace behind the wheel. So long had you two been two steps away from danger, death following you everywhere, but now he looked calm and easy. Even though you were headed towards at worst a dangerous killer and at best a dead end, he looked as though you were just taking a normal summer road trip, going to his parent’s beach house for a weekend with some friends. Everything was calm and the roads were beginning to clear out, signs for motels picking up on the road signs and billboards. The danger of Hawkins miles behind you, you almost felt like you were free from it. Almost. But watching Steve, so calm and cool, you felt the anxiety constantly pulling at your heart never lessening its tight pull. You would be okay, as long as you stayed in that car, in that moment, singing along to Whitney Houston and Heart and whatever else came through the station’s playlist.

That memory, of Steve’s happy, easy expression behind the wheel of his first car, filled your heart with the same lightness it did at the time. You were certain it was just emotional memory, the same way remembering watching your parents fight on Christmas morning made your stomach churn to this day. You couldn’t push away the feeling, which made you a bit nauseous; they stayed persistent in your heart, as did the memory. That was one of the good ones from that time, before everything was going up shit’s creek on a daily basis and fear was as normal of a feeling as complacent boredom. You could count the genuinely happy and peaceful moments of those tense years on two hands.

But you wanted to make new memories, you wanted to not hate that town every time you had to go back, you didn’t want to be filled with dread as you drove past the welcome sign.

You couldn’t remember a time when you really loved Hawkins. Sure, you had some good memories there-mostly with Dustin and Heather, but other memories were smattered with happiness, usually with boyfriends and your other friends. But now those memories were tainted with the blood of those lost and the sheer terror the labs left behind. You moved to Hawkins for your mother as a safe haven, but you left in cloud of dust looking for your own. Coming home felt like you were entering shark invested waters with nothing to hold onto.

Unfortunately, driving past the sign now still filled you with the utmost dread, terror, and nauseous fear that forced you to pull off to the side of the road to throw up; your whole body pale and shaky, a thin layer of sweat and goose bumps covered your skin. You couldn’t do it.

Too bad you had to; you knew that if you didn’t show, they’d only get worried and start making calls, looking for you everywhere. So you pulled your legs back into the car, turned your body back to face the road and turning the engine back on.

Once, it clicked. Then twice. Then three times. The car wouldn’t start.

“Well, fuck…” you muttered, dropping your head onto the wheel.

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