#he was robin since he was 9 so it should be 10 years

[roipecheur]

Babygirl, there are so many things wrong with you ♥

[ladykailitha]

The Harrington Pattern Part 12

Hey all, this story will wrap up today, so next week it will go back to just one chapter a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays and when Glitters wraps up, Sundays will go back to one a day as well.

A short chapter for the first of two, because this chapter got too long and needed to be cut down a tad and the next part fits better as a whole.

Eddie and Steve finally kiss and just giving Steve the loving crafting circle he needs.

TAG LIST IS CLOSED

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

****

Steve got to see where the cast ate their meals, where some of the cast stayed in large tents (for those that had traveled from out of state but couldn’t afford a hotel), he got to meet the people who sold the food to the tourists, and the people who cleaned up every night.

It was marvelous.

“So was the two events they were trying to schedule at the same time, the joust and your trick riding?” Steve asked after they left the cleaners.

Eddie grinned. “Close, the sword fighting and my trick riding. I told them that I would happily run over those bastards, but I didn’t think the horses would appreciate it.”

“I bet that got them to change their tune,” Steve said with a laugh.

“It sure did, sweetheart,” Eddie murmured.

Suddenly they found themselves utterly alone.

“Steve–” Eddie began, but Steve placed his fingers on his lips.

“Just wait,” he said softly. “There’s something I want to give you first.”

Eddie blinked at him. “You bought me a present?” he asked. Well technically he said, “Ym brut me apresemnt?” since Steve still had his fingers over his mouth.

Steve laughed and dug it out of his pocket. “It’s been on a little journey, one that nearly gave me a heart attack,” he murmured, “but Jeff was able to get it back to me in time.”

He handed the small pouch over to Eddie.

Eddie took it gingerly and rubbed it between his fingers as he looked at the small thing that Steve had made for him. But as small as the item itself was the giving of it, was massive.

“I remembered you telling me that your dice bag broke,” Steve mumbled, “and I really wanted to thank you for all your help this weekend. I don’t think I could of done it without you.”

Eddie looked up at Steve with glossy eyes. “It’s perfect, Stevie.”

“I plan on giving a bunch to Katie for her to sell while I make the bigger pieces,” Steve continued, “and Robin said that I should give the first one to you, because it’s special. And you deserve something really special, Eds. Because you’re special to me and I–”

Whatever else Steve was going to say got swallowed up by Eddie kissing him firmly on the lips.

He had just grabbed Steve by the face and locked their lips together.

Steve was stocked into stillness, but that didn’t last long as he pulled Eddie close to him and deepened the kiss.

Eddie let out a happy sigh as they parted for breath. “Wow, baby. You kiss like it might be your last.”

“Eh...” Steve said with a half shrug and a lopsided smile, “when you’ve faced more then one ends of the world, it very well could be.”

Eddie chuckled, pressing their heads together. “You’ve got me there, big boy.”

“Mhmm,” Steve said softly. “And I’ve got you here, too.” His arms tightened around Eddie’s waist, drawing them flush against each other.

Eddie swatted at him. “Sap.”

Steve kissed him again. “If I’m a sap, then you’re my tree.”

“That was corny even for you, honey,” he murmured, swatting at him at playfully.

Steve just laughed.

****

The end of the Renaissance Fair had come at last. There had been more then a few bumpy moments, but looking out at all the happy faces being lit up by fireworks, Steve was pleased with the results.

And next year was going to be even better, he had plans for helping the kids have quality costumes like Corroded Coffin boys had.

He might still have to do some altering instead of full on sewing all of the costumes, but he was really looking forward to it.

Katie had told him that he had several people offer her crazy money for the pouch he had accidentally dropped, so he promised her a dozen by the end of next week for her next Fair. In different sizes too.

Eddie had been the one to suggest that. Little coin purses, dice bags, and even handbag sized ones. Eddie was even going to help him find the right materials for it, ones that weren’t as expensive as the little dice bag Steve gave him.

Steve was really looking forward to it.

They hadn’t told the kids yet about their change in relationship. Not yet. They wanted to hold onto it for themselves a little longer.

Though, judging from the look that Will and Mike had sent him, Steve was pretty sure most of them had figured it out anyway.

So what started out with longing gazing into each others’ eyes, ended with holding hands under the cover of darkness as fireworks exploded overhead.

Steve had never been happier and he just knew more happiness was coming his way.

****

Steve was proven right when Claudia called him up the next morning.

“Good morning, Mrs. Henderson,” Steve murmured sleepily.

“I’m sorry, dear,” she said, “did I wake you?”

Steve looked blearily at the clock on the microwave. It was after ten in the morning.

“It’s fine,” he muttered, “I don’t usually sleep this late.”

“While that is certainly true,” Claudia agreed, “you also don’t normally spend three full days at a fair. Too much sun, too much fun, and too little sleep makes for a tired Steve. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

Steve blushed. “Thanks, Mrs. Henderson. Was there something you needed?”

“Oh, yes!” she said brightly. “Are you free this afternoon, from around two to four?”

Steve looked over at his calendar and squinted. “Looks like it, unless the nuggets call for rides to wherever.”

Claudia chuckled. “I think they’re going to be just as tired as you and not want to go anywhere today.”

He laughed. “Yeah, probably.”

“So, me and couple of the other moms have a sewing circle every Sunday,” she explained. “And we were all wondering if you wanted to come and join us. We have punch and little treats and spend two hours working on whatever project we have going on while we fill each other in on what’s happening in our lives.”

“You gossip,” Steve accused, teasingly.

She giggled. “Gossip is such tawdry word.”

“Like your every day language wouldn’t make a sailor blush,” Steve said dryly.

“And how would you know that?” she asked, curiosity coloring her tone.

“Ma’am, your son has the worst language I’ve ever seen on a teenager,” Steve said, “and I’m damn sure he didn’t get it from his dad. Even when he was alive.”

Claudia’s giggle turned into a full on laugh. “All right, you’ve got me there, Steve. So you’ll come?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Fantastic!” she cried. “We meet at Joyce’s this week.”

“This week?” Steve asked, already plotting what to bring as a treat and which project he wanted to start.

“Yes,” Claudia explained. “We rotate every week so that one person isn’t stuck hosting every time. And if you come often enough, we’ll have it your place once in a while, as well.”

Steve frowned appreciatively. “Sounds good. I’ll see you later then.”

Claudia squealed in excitement. “I can’t wait. We’re going to teach you how to use a sewing machine!”

That really piqued Steve’s interest. “Oh yeah?”

“It was Karen Wheeler’s idea,” she explained. “Karen doesn’t sew like the rest of us, but she does cross-stitch while we all chat. Apparently Mike was telling her about all the sewing you did for him and his friends and that it was all by hand.”

Steve nodded, forgetting she couldn’t see him. “Yeah, my parents thought sewing was for girls, so I learned by hand.”

“Make sure to bring some examples of your work,” she said. “I want to blow Olive Peterson’s mind. She’s of the same mind as your parents, even though what she does, the knitting, was originally only for men.”

“I have these pouches I’ve decided to make and sell,” Steve said with a grin, “so I can bring those to work on and bring some of the work I did for the kids to show off.”

“That’s brilliant!” Claudia said. “I see you later!”

Steve said goodbye and hung up.

This just might be the thing he needed.

****

Part 13

Don't quote me on the knitting originally being for men thing, it was something I learned when I read a 12 Dancing Princesses retelling years and years ago. The soldier in the story knitted to keep awake at night.

Tag List: @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03

@spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @carlyv @gregre369

@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach

@danili666 @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @wonderland-girl143-blog

@justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690

@anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

@cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt

@useless-nb-bisexual @thespaceantwhowrites @paintgonewrong @mogami13 @beelze-the-bubkiss

@croatoan-like-its-hot @retro-vagabond @sani-86 @pansexuality-activated @y4r3luv

@dauntlessdiva @vampire-eddie-brain-rot @lololol-1234 @nightmareglitter @cryptid-system CLOSED

[chizoies]

STRAWHATS FAMILY AU

The Lore Drop:

Alright,in this alternative universe the whole gang is a family. Robin and Franky are married and they are the parents. Brook is Franky’s adoptive father. Jinbei is Robin’s biological father. Brook is African (Nigerian (Bantoid))American and he was never married. Franky is caucasian, his roots comes from Turkiye. Jinbei is Indian, he married Olvia, she is Brazilian. So Robin is half Indian half Brazilian.

Only Luffy and Chopper are Frobin’s biological children.

When Robin and Franky got married, they had realised that they are rich enough to set on a quest to help the children of need so they went to see the world. HEAR ME OUT it makes sense because um Jinbei is a very respected doctor and Brook is a renowned musician; Franky own a ship/boat/cruise fix company and Robin is a doctor in the archeology field 😁 they are rich rich

First, Luffy was born. And their first destination was Japan. That is where they adopted Zoro. He was in Juvenile. They sorted out things and adopted this child to save him. Cause he was innocent. Luffy was 6 and Zoro was 10 when this happened. (I know the punishment age range is after 14 in Japan but the crime they were accusing him of was so severe or something that they had to, like you should know I’m just making shit up leave me alone)

After a few months they go to Finland. That is where they adopt Nami. A Swedish girl who was in the hands of a gun mafia that killed her sister and mother. She was 9. So they fight fight and get her.

The new year comes, and they decide to go to Mozambique. That is where they meet Usopp! When Franky and Zoro was walking through streets with full of shops and all, they run into Usopp (same age as Luffy) who was selling things he built. Usopp’s father Yasopp left their home when he was born, and her mother dies of sickness. The social workers does not give shşt about the poor. Franky sees this spark in him. He and Zoro buys things from him. And at the end of the day Franky asks if he wants a family they can be one to him. Usopp refuses because of his sick friend Kaya. Saying that he cannot leave her. Later in the week, yk the drill they show everyone that Kuro is bad person blah blah, they both save Kaya and Usopp. Usopp accepts to be part of their family.

They make BIG AHH turn and go to France. They drop at some seaside town. Such a nice touristic place. But so many shop owners with rent complaints. The mayor of this town goes againts its country’s law and increases the rents per SECOND. They dig down this mystery by accident and find out that the mayor is a evil motherfrucker scientist. He also has a son , Sanji (10 yo), whose very much so sweet. They want to fight the scientist but the country is actually supporting him. Since his products and the stuff he does supports the economy or something. So they technically kidnap Sanji. But Sanji needs it. With Franky’s relations they get him a fake id and all that. But they promise that ona day they will have enough power to defeat him. Sanji is happy.

The next destination is Canada. That is exactly where Franky and Robin decides to make another child 😁

After that they go to Egypt. They come across an organisation that Robin did her internship, the one that ran by Sir Crocodile. They find a lost child named Vivi. Vivi is an 8 year old who is getting used by Crocodile. They save her, save the country, yay! Allthough Vivi was a part of their family for a quite time after they learned that Vivi was a princess, they help her to meet her father. The Strawhats leave Egypt and promise eachother that they will meet again.

After 9 months Chopper is born. And the family is complete for now. But they are still in a quest to help children. Or to collect them lol. After a while the grandpas also join their quest. And yeah thats it. I would binge read it if someone makes a fanfic about it.

[nightwolf14292]

Dick Grayson Canon Lore Stuff:

(TW for Batman stuff, like spoilers and mention of injury/death) Hello, I know very little about the canon Batfamily because I can't exactly just read all of the comics (there's way too many, and they're very expensive T-T) so instead I spent like an hour reading the entire Fandom . com entry on Dick Grayson, and this is pretty much my timeline of important events that I got from that (I'm typing this in hopes that it'll help me remember it).

Dick Grayson Canon Lore Stuff:

•From a very young age Dick Grayson was trained as an acrobat, hence his job as a performer in his family's circus act.

•When he was eight years old, he overheard a well known crime boss threaten the circus performers if he wasn't paid by the circus owner. The owner didn't pay him, and that night Dick witnessed his parents high wire snap, leading to both of their deaths. (He felt responsible for not warning them)

•He was put into a juvenile service system, because social services in Gotham were full. In this system he was often beat up by the others, which led to him eventually being put into a Catholic orphanage instead.

•Bruce Wayne adopted him, but Dick didn't want to replace his deceased dad with a 'stuck up' billionaire, plus he felt like Bruce didn't give him enough attention (Probably because Bruce was still dealing with the trauma of his own parents death and didn't like getting attached to people in case he lost them as well), so he snuck out in hopes of solving his parents murder himself.

•He met Batman, also investigating the murder, which led to him finding out that Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same person.

•They find the crime boss, but he 'dies of a heart attack' before he can be arrested.

•Since Bruce saw so much of himself in Dick, he asked the boy if he wanted to become his sidekick and Dick decided to name himself 'Robin' after what his mother used to call him.

•He was trained for six long, hard months before he was allowed to do any real missions, and he had to go through one full night eluding Batman without help before he was allowed to officially become Robin.

•For the first year or so Dick had a lot of fun with his job, and treated it as a fun adventure he and Bruce participated in together.

•That was until he had a fight with Two-Face, in which Batman and the DA were both stuck in nooses. Dick cut the rope around the DA with a Batarang, but Two-Face had crafted a double trap and this made the floor fall out so the DA landed in a pit of water in which he drowned. This was Dick's first time witnessing an on-the-job death which would serve to haunt him for years to come, plus he got himself a beating from Two-Face (Okay but like, wouldn't he have been like 9 or 10 max Jeezums- 😭🖐).

•Bruce temporarily 'fired' Dick, not wanting to see him get hurt any more.

•Dick served as Robin for a while longer, still working with Bruce and also forming his own Titans team.

•When Dick was 17 he got shot in his shoulder by the Joker, which prompted Bruce to officially fire him out of fear for his safety. Dick decided that he didn't need Batman anymore, plus he had some issues with the way Bruce did things, so he moved from Gotham to New York to be more involved with the Titans, and he dropped out of highschool.

•Bruce didn't really like this, and told Dick that if he was no longer going to work with him he would have to retire the Robin title. Dick left Wayne Manor afterwards, and handed over leadership of the Titans to Wondergirl.

•Unsure of himself and what he should do now, yet not wanting to give up crime fighting now that it was such a big part of his life, he went to find Superman. For a brief while Dick stayed with Superman, and Superman told him of a Krypton hero who had been known as Nightwing. Because of this time with Clark, Dick decided to finally become his own hero free of Batman. He named himself Nightwing after the Krypton hero, and made himself a costume based off of something his father once wore back in the circus.

•Now as Nightwing he helped lead the Titans, though his relationship with Starfire was worsening over time.

•Jason's death was a bit of a turning point in his character. Even though originally he hadn't seemed to like Jason (mainly because Jason acted as his replacement, and because of his not so great relationship with Bruce) Dick seemed to grow into a kinder/gentler person after the event.

•A while after this, Dick discovered that the mob boss who had killed his parents was not actually dead but was in a coma instead. Dick went looking for him, but witnessed him being gunned down before he had a chance to do anything for himself. Bruce claimed that he was worried that Dick would seek revenge for his parents death if he knew the truth, so he told the young boy that the mod boss was dead instead. Dick was obviously upset because of this, and his relationship with Bruce stayed strained.

•While he was still serving with the Titans, Tim Drake sought him out and asked him to return to being Robin (Because after Jason's death Bruce was going crazy without a Robin by his side), but Dick refused because of his bad relationship with Bruce and his enjoyment for his current job. He did help Tim become Robin, though.

•A lot of bad things happened with the Titans, people passed, people left, people changed, but Dick fought to stay the heart and center of the team through it all.

•Despite their strained relationship, Dick tried to impulsively marry Starfire, but the ceremony was interrupted, which eventually led to Starfire leaving and returning to her home planet.

•Bruce was brutally injured by Bane, but because his relationship with Dick was so bad and he didn't want to 'force' his son to return, he temporarily gave the Batman title to the not-so-stable Jean Paul Valley, with Tim there to help him out. Jean proved too unstable, however, and Dick returned to Gotham to help Tim deal with him. Dick decided to step away from the Titans to focus on Gotham, and the still healing Bruce asked him to be Batman until he was alright again which Dick agreed to.

•During his time acting as Batman, Dick built a great brotherly relationship with Tim. In addition, Bruce admitted that he hadn't originally asked Dick to act as Batman for him because he didn't want to force him to come back, and the two finally began to fix their relationship.

•Dick pretends to be a villain working under Deathstroke for a while, until Deathstroke betrays him and kills at least 100,000 people with a bomb. Dick tries to find and help any survivors, but is unable to because of the radiation which weighs heavily on his mind. He also proposes to Barbara Gordon around this time.

•Dick recovers and Bruce asks him to join him and his current Robin in rediscovering his roots. Dick is hesitant, but Barbara insists that he helps, and suspends their engagement for the time being.

•Dick returns to the Titan's tower, because there's someone there pretending to be him. Turns out it's the revived Jason Todd!

•While on a case, he gets buried alive by a mysterious voice that tells him he's 'supposed to be dead'. He has a hard time finding work because he's in a cast, and is having some trouble due to his injuries.

•By this point his relationship with both Bruce and Tim have improved dramatically, and he's close with both of them.

•The Titans decide to reform their group.

•Okay I'm gonna try and put this as simply as possible… Bruce was targeted by a group called 'Black Glove', supposedly going insane and running away. Dick doesn't want Tim to have to deal with everything himself, so he returns. He gets kidnapped and drugged by the International Club of Villains and is scheduled for a lobotomy, but gets out of it because Bruce's 'insanity' was made up to expose the Black Glove. Batman fights with Doctor Hurt on a helicopter, but the helicopter explodes. Batman is fine and works with the Justice League, but then is seemingly killed in his confrontation with Darkseid. In his will, Bruce begs Dick not to become Batman. Because of his refusal to become Batman, someone else takes up the job instead, calling himself Batman but using lethal methods that Bruce would never allow. This 'Batman' is actually Jason Todd, who shoots Damian and almost kills Tim with a Batarang. Dick and Jason fight and Dick shoves Jason off of a speeding train, seemingly killing him though Jason says they'll 'Meet again soon'. Dick finally decides to become the official Batman, but refuses to make Tim his Robin because according to him, he sees Tim as his equal and not his sidekick. He instead makes Damian his new Robin, which of course pisses off Tim. Tim, believing Bruce to be alive, takes up Jason's old Red Robin mantle and goes searching for Bruce. Dick moves base because the Batcave reminds him too much of Bruce, and struggles because Damian is constantly reminding and taunting him over the fact that he will never truly be able to replace his father. When he next fights Jason, Jason remarks that if the Lazarus pit could revive him, it could revive Bruce too as he's being arrested.

There's quite a bit of stuff that happens in between here, most notably the death of a young boy called Baby D which influences Dick's future character, but since I've been typing for hours:

Thinking about what Jason said, Dick takes Bruce's body from his grave and takes him to the Lazarus Pit. While it does reanimate the corpse, the revived 'Bruce' is angry and violent. This is because it was never Bruce at all, it was actually a clone of him. This gives Dick, Damian, and Alfred a similar hope to Tim, that Bruce is actually still alive. Tim brings evidence that Bruce is actually lost in time, and after a bit of digging and more evidence finding, they manage to bring Bruce back.

•Dick finally becomes Nightwing again, now with red on his costume which reflects his darker and more grim outlook on life and humanity after his time as Batman.

•Nightwing gets stabbed on a mission.

•He also, on a different mission, momentarily dies but they manage to start his heart again.

•Dick puts down his Nightwing title for a while and becomes a secret agent for Bruce, but the wiki has no info on this.

•Dick goes back to being Nightwing, finally returning to his original black and blue suit instead of the black and red one. He reforms the titans, but after working with them for a bit, but ends up moving back to Blüdhaven soon after.

•Someone is sent to assassinate Dick, and he gets shot in the head. He manages to survive, though he has amnesia and for a brief while becomes 'Ric Grayson' until he gets his memories back. When Ric tries to restore his memories he is kidnapped by the Joker who brainwashes him into believing that he was the Joker's sidekick, though he's eventually rescued and gets his memories back. After this event, he officially rejoins the Batman Family as Nightwing.

•There's no info after this.

Extra fact: While not mentioned in the fandom wiki, Dick Grayson was r[😬]ed by a female villain named Tarantula. (As in yes, he has a nice ass, but he would canonically be very uncomfortable with how some parts of the fandom oversexualize him.)

[katyawriteswhump]

the power of love, part 11 (steddie, steve whump fic, stobin)

Alternate ending S4: Steve has a habit of surviving near death experiences then getting sick for no reason. And Eddie and those fatal bat bites? After an impossible feat of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from Steve, he’s mysteriously fixed. So, Eddie’s back to being banished, this time with Steve and Robin in tow. Eddie’s healing, but Steve isn’t… and life gets even more confusing, when Eddie develops feelings for Steve, which aren’t entirely unrequited.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 12 Part 13

(also on AO3 here and as part of my steve whump fic series)

Steve POV

1978—Lover’s Lake

Steve sinks, pulls upward with all he’s got left. He bursts through the surface, screaming: “Dad! Mom! Dad? I’m… lost… Heeeelp!”

The dark waters close seamlessly above his head.

His panic dies quickly, along with the burning pressure in his chest. He sees a swimmer approaching across the depths, like a light rippling through gloom. Their face is kind and strange—he can’t tell if they’re young or really old, or a guy or girl.

“Not yet,” they say. Their arms fold around him, and he’s calm and he isn’t cold. 

Until he is. 

A thousand icy needles jab at his skin, and he whimpers at the sensation of being dragged, carried. Voices shout in harsh, frightening tones, and then…

Apart from in his dreams, he doesn’t see THEM again for another seven years.

“Who do you work for?” demands that Soviet son-of-a-bitch, for the billionth time. 

Steve is tied up, bloodied, not sure if he’s laughing or crying. He’s sure as heck losing his mind, and… wtf? 

The other Soviet bastard raises his hand.

“Oh, come on! No, no, no, seriously?”

Steve doesn’t see the blow coming. Pain flashes up and darkness slams down—the darkness of blood, a rising, relentless tide. It washes him back into that calm place, and all his panic and pain float away.

He sees THEM again, in the fearless dark. 

“Still not yet,” they whisper.

The echoes hook him back. It’s Robin: “Help, heeeeelp!”

Oh yeah, they’ve been captured by the Soviets.

“My ears are ringing,” he tells her, “I can’t properly breathe, and I feel like my eyes’s about to pop out of my skull. Apart from that, I’m doing pretty good.”

He shouldn’t be, though. If there wasn’t so much else to be shitting himself about, he’d be yelling it loud enough to deafen them both. After that mauling from Hargrove, the doctor’s warning had been brutal. Any more head trauma, and he might have a stroke, a brain bleed, go blind, deaf, lose his memory, go mad. He could even die. He should be dead now, right?

Then it all gets even whackier. 

A blue tide rushes through the Soviet base. He yells for Robin, but everything’s already obliterated. The waters carry him along, limbs flailing free, no longer hurting, not even so scared. He knows it’s THEM, although this tsunami isn’t gentle. It’s Niagara levels of powerful and near as water can get to fire and fury. 

“You’ll know,” they tell him. “You’ll know when it’s time to come home.”

Then he’s back in the present, slowly waking up.  

He figures he’s been dreaming. Yeah, about those evil Soviets, and about… stuff that didn’t happen. Where the hell did that flood and fire crap come from?

“You’ll know when it’s time to come home.”

It’s deeply freaky, and he hates it. And Jesus Christ, why is his shoulder a screaming mess of pain? He opens his eyes.

“Robin?” She’s in her usual spot, sitting on the edge of his bunk. 

“Steve? Oh, thank God!”

“What happened this time? I’m so sick of…” He raises his head, flops it back again. There’s a bone-deep ache through his neck and both his arms. His wrists feel mangled. “Shit! Somebody was coming! Did they… Where’s Eddie?”

She puffs through her nostrils. “It’s okay. It was Hopper and El.”

Yeah, that makes some sorta sense. Hopper and Eleven were on the run too, after all. “Where’s Eddie? Is he all right?”

“Don’t ask me. Not spoken to him since he left you unconscious, hanging by one wrist. What was he even thinking?”

Blood rushes to Steve’s face. “That wasn’t entirely his fault. Honestly, I… uh…”

“I don’t care if you begged him on one knee! It was utterly moronic.”

“Listen, I was a moron too—it was matching moronic-ness. We were fooling around, and… Look, I passed out after he left to warn you. Before that, I basically forced him to go.”

“Forced him while roped up? You get yet another pass, Dingus. It’s gonna take a short-to-medium-length Ice Age for him to earn the same.”

Steve sighs hard. He’ll talk her around when he’s gotten the energy.

“Steve, can I ask you something?” She picks at the last flakes of that nail polish..

“If I said ‘no,’ would it make any difference?”

“Do you know anything about the fantastically random rainstorm last night?”

“About the whut?” 

His mind starts racing, in sync with his pulse. Trouble is, he’s beginning to get it. He knows that they—that thing in Lover’s Lake—saved his life. More than once. He still hasn’t got a clue about the rain. Or has he?

You freaked out last night, and thunder clouds hijacked your brain.

“Steve? You okay?”

“Jesus, I��m…” Nope, still not great. He slowly sits up. Under the blanket, he’s shirtless. He catches his left arm with his right, cradling it.

“Does your shoulder hurt bad?”

“No, Robin. It’s just randomly gone purple. Gonna be pitching for the Hoosiers this weekend for sure.” He notices one of his wrists is bandaged. “Got any of those left? Guess I’ll need a sling or something.”

“Yeah, I tried the lake water trick. Not much happened this time. On the other hand, Hopper said it was a miracle you didn’t dislocate it, so…  I’ll, uh, go get him. He’s got a ton of fresh supplies."

She goes, and Steve painfully eases his way into a clean shirt. It turns out to be another Hellfire Club one, which Eddie brought back from his meet at Skull Rock. Oh genius, Henderson, just brilliant! Get Eddie and me walking around with targets painted on our chests, why don’t you? Worse, I’m gonna look like a nerd. With TERRIBLE HAIR. The effort of getting his sweater on over it all, literally brings tears to his eyes. 

Then he sits up straight, on the edge of the bunk. He supports his bad arm, while forcing his features into his best ‘don’t-give-a-damn’ mask. 

When Hopper stoops under the door of the bunkroom, Steve’s jaw drops anyhow. He barely recognises the guy. Uh… wow? He’s not wearing a police uniform, but he still looks in goddamn charge, with an Indiana-Jones style hat that screams authority. He’s even gotten his hands on what looks like a police-issue firearm, in a halter at his side.

“Hey,” says Hopper. “You got yourself pretty beat up again, huh?”

“My shoulder hurts,” he whispers. It comes out so humiliatingly shakily, that when Hopper takes off his hat and sits down beside him, Steve looks away sharply. Oh, for Christ’s sake! He sniffs, dabs his eyes, pulls himself together. “It’s not so bad,” he mumbles.

“Yeah? You got tough joints, kid.”

Steve bites his lip to the point of pain.

Hopper’s brought a first-aid kit, and he fashions a sling for him. As he does, he fills Steve in on a few more details of how the hell he came back from the dead. Also, about what’s been going on in Hawkins, which is basically under military occupation. He ties the sling behind Steve’s neck, squeezes his good shoulder. “You take it easy. Sun’s up and we’ll be off in a few minutes.”

Hopper heads out. Steve scowls at his back. 

He ought to be relieved Hopper’s here. Admittedly, he’s been a total flop at taking care of himself and the others. Which only makes him more pissed with Hopper. How could somebody go through that in a Soviet gulag, win a wrestling match with demo-gorgons, and still come out alive, swinging, and the toughest dude in the state?

He gets his sneakers on and staggers as far as the door. Robin is loading the remnants of their supplies into an armoured Humvee, painted in military khaki and spattered with mud. Hopper’s fiddling under the hood, and Eleven hovers nearby. She gives Steve a sort-of smile, which he returns, while seething, 

That sick son-of-a-bitch Brenner took her hair again?

 “Where’s Eddie?” he asks, stepping further out, while fighting a wave of dizziness.

“Skulking,” calls Eddie, sloping out from some hiding spot. Robin folds her arms and stomps away. Steve squelches across the sticky ground toward Eddie. He looks so forlorn—hair flattened like a soggy puppy’s—that Steve can’t help grinning. 

“Sorry,” mouths Steve. “Sucky timing, huh?”

Eddie pulls a silly face, which doesn’t reach his pink eyes. Steve edges closer. Eddie shuffles back, looking genuinely spooked, which sends Steve’s mood into free-fall. 

He sits down heavily on Eddie’s empty beer-crate and nods at the Humvee. “You guys stole that baby?”

“Had to get around the roadblocks somehow,” says Hopper. “That rain churned up a ton of mud. It’s gonna slow them down, but it’s gonna slow us down too. We gotta move.”

“We? Why are we all going?” Steve hates this idea. Even more than he hates how he’s defaulting to surly teenager mode. He wonders—not for the first time though not for the billionth—if his actual parents have given him up for dead. “Don’t wanna seem ungrateful, Chief, but I really don’t feel like a road trip.” 

“O’Sullivan has torn Hawkins apart, searching for El. Next, he’s gonna have the army sweep this whole area. You won’t stand a chance.”

“Can’t we go back to those caves?” Steve mumbles toward his mud-flecked sneakers. 

“When they find you,” says Hopper, “best-case scenario—they hand Munson here over the police, or the cronies who count for it these days. Worst case-scenario? O’Sullivan keeps hold of him, as well as you.”

“Why the heck would some army guy be interested in me?”

He senses Hopper close in. “You signed the NDAs, Steve. They know YOU know about Eleven. They’ve interrogated Joyce and Jonathan, but there’s only so much they can do with people they can’t easily ‘disappear.’ If they think you’ve got intel as to her whereabouts… You get where I’m going with this?”

“So what?” Steve can’t look up. Like before, he can’t let Hopper see. “W-won’t be the first time I’ve been tortured.”

“Yeah, and I’m sorry, kid. But tough talk ain’t gonna save you.”

“They kill people,” says Eleven. “I didn’t want to run, to leave Mike. To leave Max.” She sounds so very sad. “We had no choice.”

“I honestly don’t think we have much choice either, Steve,” says Robin, emerging from the cabin behind with the blankets. “Hop’s got more bottled water from Lover’s Lake in the truck. If you get sick or hurt, it could help.”

On being reminded of all that shit, Steve rubs his face, groans.

“We gonna talk about that now?” asks Eddie. “You know, the ginormous, soggy elephant spouting water out of its trunk? The one giving Steve buffed-to-the-max powers?”

“Powers?” Steve’s forced laugh comes out way too loud. “El can throw cars around with her mind, rip holes in dimensions. I can heal stuff. A bit. Then I pass out for half a day. It’s pointless.”

“Neeeewsflash,” sings Eddie. “You brought me back from the dead. Not pointless, I hope.”

Steve laughs again, totally hollow. What Eddie says feels fake, somehow. Was that even really him, or… Ugh, his head is too muddled.

“Using my powers tires me out too,” adds Eleven.

“Uh, hello? Can we please discuss the super-magical weather?” Having flung the bedding in the Humvee, Robin flings her arms toward the skies. “Twice, we were in danger. Twice, Steve rearranged the heavens to cover our sorry asses.”

Steve huffs: “Robin, I have no control over—"

“You have to learn control,” says Eleven.

“We can talk about this on the journey.” Hopper takes Steve by the elbow. He urges him to his feet, finally forcing Steve to slam him with a full-on glare. “C’mon, get in.”

Part 12

tags: @estrellami-1 @kal-ology @finntheehumaneater (thank you, thank you, thank you!) If anybody else would like to be tagged on this fic or any of my writing, please let me know :) Reblogs, comments and likes also very much appreciated :) Thank you for reading so far :)

(also part of my steve whump fic series on AO3)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 12 Part 13

[youmakemyhearthowl]

Punk Princess

Ao3| Part 1| Part 2 (Next Part) | Part 3| Part 4| Part 5| Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8| Part 9 | Part 10

Steve Harrington just up and disappeared the summer of 84’.

He wasn’t seen around town, and he didn’t talk to any of his old friends. No one knew what happened to him. But the thing was Steve hadn’t actually -gone- anywhere. He was still around, still shopping for groceries and driving the kids around, because even though he wasn’t involved in their end of things the first go around, Steve was instantly protective of the shitheads.

Steve had just stopped looking like Steve.

Him and Nancy had ended up breaking up after all was said and done and he’d gone in a bit of a bender after school had let out for the year. Getting lost in the streets of Indianapolis and trying to figure out who he was, who he wanted to be.

That’s when he’d stumbled upon the punk scene and everything sort of changed for him. He didn’t -want- to be King Steve, had never wanted to be him in the first fucking place but it was the only way he knew to keep himself safe in high-school. He’d gone along with it because he wasn’t really a fighter and he knew if he was bottom of the food chain, he wouldn’t have survived. But the punk scene, the punk scene was everything he never knew he needed, and the kind people he’d met behind the hard edges that dressed with had helped him find a way to express himself and protect himself.

So he’d shaved the sides of his head, pierced his lip and eyebrow, and bought enough black and pastel clothing to crop and cut and mix and match till it fit his feelings of the day.

And so King Steve died and Steve was born from his ashes or something poetic like that and Steve felt more himself then he’d ever had before. He even learned about the queer community that intermingled with the punks and metal heads he spent his time with, and discovered you -can- in fact like both babes and boys and he’d been slowly setting into that part of his identity over the summer as well.

It nearly made him laugh out loud when he’d walked into Hawkins High on his first day of senior year and everyone’s jaws seemed to drop in unison when they took him in. Charcoal smoked around his eyes and mesh top covered by his black denim vest covered in patches and pins. The old “Harrington” cut off the back of his lettermen jacket and sewn onto the back of the vest, effectively cutting off every rumor about him ‘running off with that Buckley girl he knocked up.’ His arm was draped casually across said girls shoulders, the pink streaks she’d added to her hair standing in stark contrast to his black clothes.

“People are staring.” Robins whispered words tickled his ear as she leaned into his space, shying away from the eyes on them.

“Let em’ look Buck. Who gives a shit what they think, that’s what Hellen told us right?” He smiled softly down at her. She’d come a long way since the first time they’d run into each-other at one of the only queer clubs in the city, but she was still working on the whole aloof part of the punk roll she was falling into with him. Her outfit more subdued with spikes and patches on her jacket being the most she felt comfortable with in her new fashion. She still wasn’t sure she was totally into the punk look, so she’d taken her favorite parts and found ways to incorporate them into her usual fashion sense.

“Is that Steve Harrington?” Tommy’s voice suddenly rings across the halls and breaks them from their little bubble. Robin pulling her head off his arm and squaring her shoulders.

“Hagen.” He nods, the piercings in his face glittering slightly under the schools florescence. He debates internally if he should go on the defensive or just simply stay aloof, when Eddie Munson rounds the corner making a strange, loud, startled sound so loudly it pulls Tommy’s attention from Steve completely. Eddie’s stumbling to pick up the books he’s dropped eyes glued directly to Steve as a sharp red blush coats his cheeks.

“Fucking freak.” Tommy spits, and Steve sighs, defensive and aloof are officially off the table now, offense becoming his first priority.

Steve and Eddie had never interacted outside of Tommy’s hazing and Steve standing off to the side, trying to not to draw attention to himself. But when Steve had decided to finally be true to himself, he’d also discovered his unwavering desire to protect others, channeling his inner mean girl to punch up instead of down. And Eddie Munson was someone he seems to have deemed in that moment, under his protection.

“Lay off Hagen.” He snaps. Keeping his demeanor indifferent and bored as his ex friend whips around to glare. There’s a startled strangled sound slightly down the hall and Steve’s eyes meet Eddie’s, offering him a small smile and slight nod when he notices Eddie’s eyes are still glued to him.

“Oh sorry I forgot you’re a freak now too huh Harrington?” He growls, stalking towards Steve and stumbling his steps slightly when he realizes Steve stands a few inches taller then him now. His eyes shoot down glancing at Steve’s slightly platformed combat boots.

“They’re called shit kickers.” Steve offers, catching his gaze. “Wanna find out why?”

Ao3| Part 1| Part 2 (Next Part)| Part 3| Part 3| Part 4| Part 5| Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8| Part 9 | Part 10

[temptingfatetakingnames]

The Last Steve Harrington Part 13

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

Steve’s first few days at Family Video passed by without incident. He started during the week so it wasn’t very busy and Robin was a good teacher. She talked a lot. A constant stream of chatter. It made him feel comfortable, oddly enough. She never seemed to mind that he didn’t have a lot to say himself, but he tried to contribute. Tried to share bits of himself with her.

She had been going on about the other part time employee who called in sick all the time, Rick. He always left her high and dry on Friday afternoons. After the first few times, Steve would have stopped scheduling him for the shift but apparently there were rules that Robin had to follow. Sounded like bullshit to him.

“So, last weekend I had to work alone and there was a huge rush, because there’s always a huge rush after five. And this woman kept yelling at me, like that was going to make me go any faster.”

“But Robin,” Steve deadpanned, “the customer is always right.”

She barked out a quick laugh.  

“She sounds like a real bitch, though. At least if Rick calls in again this Friday, I can come and help you.”

She looked over at him with a smile. “Thanks, Steve.”

They went back to their separate tasks and worked quietly for a few minutes. Steve knew it wouldn’t last long.

“Nancy has really been nagging me about college since she’s been back,” Robin said, breaking the silence. Steve kept his finger on the rewind button and looked up at her.

“What were you gunna do?”

“Criminology.”

“What the heck is that?”

“The study of crime and criminal behavior.”

“Sounds cool.” He didn’t know what job you could do with it, but it did sound badass.

“Yeah, it’s cool.” She said and laughed a little to herself.

He wanted to ask her why she didn’t want to go but he already knew the answer. She didn’t want to leave him. It made him incredibly angry, all of a sudden. Because if the kids had left him where he belonged, Robin would probably be ready to move on. She had been heartbroken when Steve died, and all her plans had fallen apart. Now, she was putting them on hold again. For him. Making sacrifices. For him. And she shouldn’t.

“Nancy is right, you should go,” was all he could think to say.

She went quiet again. Steve took the tape out of the machine and put the next one in.

“Not yet,” she finally said. “I’m gunna save up a bit more. Apply next year.”

As if Steve wouldn’t be able to see through that. Saving up for college wasn’t why she didn’t go last year and it certainly wasn’t why she didn’t want to go this year.

“That’s a long time to wait.”

She hummed noncommittedly. “It’s not that long.”

“I don’t –” Steve paused, trying to get his thoughts together. He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated with himself. “I don’t want you stay or put your life on hold for me.”

“I’m not.”

“Rob –”

“Steve!” She interrupted. “I’m not!”

She wasn’t looking at him.

“I’m not him, Robin. You don’t need to stay for me. I don’t want you to stay for me.”

“I’m staying for me, asshole!” Robin yelled as she walked over and shoved him hard. “I know you’re not him. I am so aware you are not him, Steve. I want to stay because I want to know you.”

Steve rubbed his chest and gritted his teeth. Robin glared up at him. He glared back.

“You stubborn ass – I told you I wasn’t leaving. You trying to push me away isn’t going to work. College will be waiting for me when I’m ready to go.” Her face softened and she reached for his hand. “And even when I do go – I’m not leaving you. You’re stuck with me forever. Got it?”

He looked away and swallowed against the lump in his throat. He didn’t want to start depending on her, didn’t want to keep liking her so much. Better to push her away now, let her get on with her life, than have her leave him after he became attached. As if he wasn’t attached already…

Robin was the first person he could reasonably call his friend here. He knew Dustin wished they were closer, but he couldn’t get past the weight of expectation in his eyes. The eyes that still saw Steve and not… him. It hurt, because Dustin was his brother and he was holding himself back from him. Eleven and Will – well, he was starting to love them dearly and that scared the shit out of him. And Eddie was becoming something…maybe. Which also hurt and scared the shit out of him.

But Robin? She didn’t hurt him or scare him. She didn’t treat him like something fragile that was on the verge of breaking. She shoved him and got angry and called him out when he was being an idiot. She was a good friend and deserved better than Steve trying to push her away.

Gripping her hand back, he nodded.

“Got it.”

She smiled and shoved him – more gently this time.

“Good. Now get back to work.”

Steve laughed and went back to rewinding tapes.

---

The day continued. Robin went into the back to do some paperwork leaving Steve to main the front store. The bell chimed as the door opened, signifying a customer had walked in. He looked around the display he was setting up to see a teenaged boy standing at the entrance, looking around with wide familiar brown eyes.

“Can I help you?” Steve asked.

“Stephanie?” the boy asked, eyes squinted in confusion.

“Uh… no. Steve.” He corrected.

“Steve? Steve Harrington?”

“Yeah, Steve Harrington.” The words were barely out of his mouth when the boy threw himself at him. Steve caught him on instinct, thinking about the last time a teenager threw themselves at him. The boy was skinny but damn was he strong. When he was done hugging the absolute life out of Steve, he leaned back a bit and started poking at his cheeks and touching his hair.

“So strange,” he said wide-eyed. “My Harrington was a girl.”

Steve blinked down at who could only be another Eleven.

A boy Eleven.

And his universes’ Steve was a girl!?

“I am so glad you lived!” Eleven said with the same devastating conviction and happiness that the other visiting Eleven had used. Tears immediately sprang to Steve’s eyes. Because this time he knew it was a choice. He had chosen to live and every day he chose it again, the beautiful and painful torture of it.

He looked into Eleven’s face, picking apart the similarities and differences between him and the other Eleven’s he had known. It was always the eyes that were the same. The wide brown eyes that always seemed innocent despite all that they had been through. He realized that they really were all looking for him. That an infinite number of Eleven’s couldn’t accept that he was gone, that just needed to find one of him for it to all be okay again. He thought his chest might burst with the feelings building up inside him.

Steve didn’t know what else to do so he smiled and said, “hello, Eleven.”

Eleven beamed up at him and stepped back from their hug but stayed close to his side.

“Who’s this?” Robin asked, coming out of the back room.

“I am Eleven!” he said, “and you look like Rob!”

Robin eyed Steve questionably before turning back to the boy. “I’m Robin.”

“Robin,” Eleven exclaimed in wonder and went over to poke at her cheek too. She allowed it for a moment before waving him away when he started playing with her hair.

“So, I’m guessing you’re from another universe then? Visiting Steve?”

“Yes,” Eleven replied with a smile. “I am visiting.”

“Is everyone the opposite gender to us?” Robin asked. “Our Eleven is a girl.”

Eleven scrunched his nose at that, Steve understood the feeling.

“My Stephanie was a girl and my Rob is a boy,” Eleven said and shrugged.

“Stephanie!” Robin shrieked. “Oh, I wish I could have known her! Steve as a girl…”  

“I bet she was badass and hot. Tell Robin she was badass and hot, Eleven.”

“Stephanie was very bad ass… and hot.”

Steve winked at her and she rolled her eyes.

“What about Dustin?” Steve asked.

“Dustin?”

“Henderson.”

“Ah. Tina Henderson.”

“Tina!” Steve repeated, cackling at the thought.

Robin laughed too. “He’s going to hate that!”

They talked and traded names back and forth. Eleven was just as curious as they were to find out how different their universes were. Steve wasn’t surprised by most people’s parallel names and he and Robin were able to figure out most of them. Mike was Michelle, Nancy was Nathan, Max was Max. It was only Eddie’s that was holding them up. There just weren’t that many feminine ways of changing Edward. Robin guessed Edwina and Edith and Steve guessed Emily and Emma. All no goes. Eleven seemed to be really enjoying stumping them on this one and Steve had a feeling they already guessed it but he was messing with them.

“Edie.” Robin tried. Eleven shook his head.

“It’s Lucy,” he finally admitted.

“Lucy!?” Steve and Robin exclaimed at the same time.

Eleven nodded. “Lucy Munson.”

“Well… that doesn’t make any sense at all!” Steve spluttered.

Eleven just smiled and shrugged.

Steve narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. “You’re messing with us, aren’t you?”

Eleven laughed full out and shook his head. “Her name is Lucy! Friends don’t lie.”

Friends don’t lie.  

Steve’s heart clenched. Those damn echoes.

“I should get back,” Eleven said. “I have never been gone this long before and everyone will be worried. Is there anything you would like me to tell them for you?” he asked, looking at Steve with the weight of infinite Eleven’s in his eyes.

“Tell them,” Steve began slowly. “Tell them that I’m okay, and that I love them. Tell them that I know that surviving is hard and moving on is harder but that their Harrington wouldn’t want them to – to hurt themselves with missing her. That if she was anything like me, she’s proud of them. So proud of them. She would be proud of you too, Eleven. Tell them to look after each other like she would have and remember her with laughter. Did she like to swim?”

“Yes,” Eleven replied softly.

“Tell them to go to the lake if they want to feel close to her. It’s where I would choose to be. They can go there to – to swim with her and talk to her… if they need to.”

Eleven nodded, tears pooling in his eyes. “I will tell them.”

Steve moved closer and opened his arms and Eleven fell into them as his tears turned into sobs.

“Thank you, Steve.”

He knew the words were coming but they still felt like a punch to his gut anyway. He didn’t need to ask what for this time.

For living.

He looked up and blinked quickly, holding Eleven tighter. Suddenly realizing that every time he was visited by an Eleven… he healed an entire universe full of the people he cared about most – simply by living. By being here to say that everything was going to be okay and to let them say goodbye. And if that was true… it meant helping an infinite number of Elevens, and Dustins, and Eds, and Robins… and on and on and on.

And Steve thought about the sacrifice of that.

Of taking on an infinite amount of love and grief. He wondered if this was the moment that Other Steve had mentioned feeling to Robin. A different sacrifice, he knew. But a sacrifice all the same. And he couldn’t help but rage inside… at the injustice of fate. Because if it was Steve Harrington’s destiny to die saving his loved ones but leave them in grieving pieces – how was it fair that it was his destiny to put those pieces back together? How was he supposed to heal an infinite multiverse amount of grief?  

He didn’t know if he was strong enough. His own grief was a black hole that sucked in every sliver of happiness he managed to feel. But… maybe that was why he could do it. Because he knew it. Had become intimately acquainted with it. Felt it. Understood it. Breathed it. Lived it. Cherished it.

The loss.

The grief.

The guilt.

… and the love.

And they helped to heal pieces of him, too. The visiting Elevens. The first had found him, pulled him to safety and gave him a home and a family. The second had saved him from a literal cliff’s edge, and then gave him a reason to try living again. And this Eleven…proved just how much the universe…loved him.

Every instance of him.

Another sob broke free at his side and he looked over to see Robin with her head in her hands, shoulders shaking as she tried to cry quietly. She didn’t manage it. She cried just like she did everything else – loudly.  

“I miss you,” Eleven said into his chest.

“I know,” Steve replied softly.

He took a deep breath and then stepped out of Steve’s arms, wiping his eyes. 

“It helps to know you are here. I can’t wait to tell the others about Steve Harrington. They will be so shocked!”

“I’m excited to tell everyone about you, too.”

Robin came over and slipped her hand into his and Steve was grateful for her grounding presence.

“Good-bye, Steve,” Eleven said and smiled brightly, despite the tears still in his eyes.

Steve smiled back. “Good-bye, Eleven.”

The bell over the door jingled as he left. Back to a universe without a Steve or Stephanie in it. To tell them that he loved them and that everything was going to be okay.

Because he did.

And it was.

Part 14

@just-a-tiny-void @mx-jinxous @child-of-cthulhu @awholedamnmesstbh @phoenix0bird @bookworm0690 @estrellami-1 @a-gae-af-racoon @nailbatandfreak @novelnovella @meela86 @lenathegay @vampireinthesun @penny00dreadful @questionablequeeries @espressopatronum454 @r0binscript @seths-rogens @fruity-nerd @sani-86 @n0-1-important @swimmingbirdrunningrock @ellietheasexylibrarian @manda-panda-monium @paintsplatteredandimperfect @viridianphtalo @goodolefashionedloverboi @13catastrophic-blues

Huge thanks to those who offered to be sounding boards for an idea: @newtstabber @stevie-crow @queenie-ofthe-void @tinytalkingtina @hbyrde36 Thank you all so so much!

-I have all of the alternate names written out and I am so mad I couldn’t figure out how to get Wayne (Winnie) into this conversation. -I don’t know why everything I write turns out sadder than I originally intended. This was supposed to be a fun chapter and instead it became…This. Cried like a baby writing it. That said, it's my favourite so far so I hope you all like it!

[eddiemunsons80sbaby]

Nobody's Fool: Chapter 28

Pairing: EddieXReader

Summary: You have bartended for years after you were forced to drop out of college due to family circumstances. You have dated your fair share of musicians, had your heart broken by one particular one, and have learned they are not be trusted. You have sworn off of them for the rest of your life. Then, one night, a new band plays at the bar, and against your better judgement, you can't help noticing the lead singer and guitar player. Could he possibly be different from the ones who came before him?

Warnings: 18+ Only due to eventual smut and language. There is also a toxic family relationship with a narcissistic mother if that is triggering for you.

Masterlist

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27

Nine Months Later

“Seriously, what are you planning?” you asked. 

“It’s a surprise,” Eddie laughed. “Shit, you are so bad at surprises.”

“I don’t like not knowing what’s going on,” you pouted. “You’ve been secretive for two weeks and now I have to go shopping with Nancy and do exactly what she tells me. It’s weird.”

“It’s not weird. I'm trying to be romantic, damn it,” he said, kissing you. “So just get with the program.”

“Fine, but I don’t have to be happy about it.”

“You are so goddamn stubborn.”

“And you love me anyway,” you smiled.

“That I do,” Eddie agreed, pulling you close. 

The last nine months had been pure bliss. You should have taken a sledgehammer to those barriers you'd tried to put up against him long before you did. You knew you would never get bored of him, never want to look at anyone else and you also knew he wouldn’t either. You had never been so sure of anything as you were of the two of them. 

Your mom had to do time, six months in the county jail. You had not spoken to her again since that night when she hung up on you. Your mom had tried to call collect a few times but it stopped after you had refused the calls every time. Yes, that woman was your mother, she had given you life, but that was all she had done. You were at peace with your decision to cut that diseased limb from your family tree. You didn't owe her anything.

You had begun seeing a therapist and Eddie had been completely supportive of your decision. The therapist was the one who recommended that you walk away from your toxic parents and embrace the family you had created around yourself instead. Following that advice had been like finally dropping the anchor that had been dragging you under the tides for far too long. 

You realized you didn’t need to focus on those you had been stuck with through blood. Eddie, Jen, Robin, Nancy, Steve, and the others were your family now. You couldn’t have created a more perfect support system than them.

The therapist also helped you see that you had never really been in love with Sebastian. You hadn’t mourned the loss of him in your life. You had mourned the idea that there was someone out there who loved you. You honestly wished you would have made the choice to go to therapy a long time ago, but it was hard to admit that you were such a mess that you needed professional help. Your friends hadn’t made you feel embarrassed about it once and Eddie had been your biggest advocate, only wanting you to do what you needed so you could be your best self.

After Nancy arrived, she dragged you from the house and drove you into town. You tried to get her to spill what was going on but she was tight lipped. She parked and the two of you headed into one of the boutiques downtown. You were immensely confused. This place sold fancy dresses and stuff. What would you need from here? You weren't sure you even owned a fancy dress. You and Eddie were not exactly fancy people.

“Well, come on,” Nancy smiled. “First stop is picking out a pretty dress.”

“And why do I need a pretty dress?”

“No questions, remember?” Nancy reminded you. “I promise it will all be worth it.”

You sighed but followed her in. Nancy must have had you try on fifteen different dresses before she clasped her hands, squealing at the last one. It was sage green. The bodice had spaghetti straps and was fitted with applique leaves. The bottom flared out like a ball gown. Layers of tulle flared out around you, vines of the applique leaves winding down it in various places.

“Oh my god, this is it,” Nancy squealed. “It’s gorgeous. It brings out your eyes and it looks so like spring with everything blooming and growing.”

“Okay, so glad we found the perfect dress. Just wish I knew what the hell I needed a poofy dress for,” you sighed.

Nancy rolled her eyes, “Seriously, just stop being such a pain in the ass and go with it. Okay, take it off and bring it out so I can pay.”

“Why are you paying for my dress?”

“Eddie is paying for the dress,” she said. “He gave me the money already.”

You sighed, changing out of the dress and back into your comfortable jeans and shirt. Nancy paid and you headed back to the car. You really wanted to know what the hell was going on. This was so strange. You wound up at Nancy and Steve’s house. You followed her in and Nancy told you to sit as she began gathering stuff from her bathroom. Walking out, she had a make-up case, a curling iron, hairspray, and way too many bobby pins.

“Whoa, what are you doing?”

“Hair and make-up,” Nancy said as if it should be obvious. “We need to make you beautiful for that very beautiful dress. Now, sit still and let me work my magic.”

You sat, reminding yourself that you loved Eddie more than life itself and this seemed to be important to him. So, you allowed Nancy to do your make-up and mess with your hair. It wasn’t that you didn’t wear make-up or fix your hair but you were usually pretty minimal. Your whole get ready and get out the door routine took about fifteen minutes. This was becoming a two hour affair. 

“Okay, all done,” Nancy finally said, smiling. “Now, go put the dress on.”

“Fine,” you muttered, grabbing the dress and heading into her bathroom. You pulled it on, managing to zip up the back and turned to look in the mirror. Holy shit. Nancy was like a fairy godmother. Your hair was pulled up, with a few soft curls framing your face on each side. Your face looked soft and pretty. Damn, you even had cheekbones and really long lashes. You didn’t think you'd ever thought you'd looked so pretty before. Nancy had highlighted your eye color perfectly and the dress just made them pop more. 

“Wow,” Nancy breathed as you walked out of the bathroom. “You look so beautiful.”

“Thank you. You’re in a fancy dress too,” you commented, noticing she had changed into a purple satin dress. 

“Yep,” she simply said. “Let’s go.”

You were back in the car, but you were a bit more interested in paying attention this time. You assumed this was your final destination and you were dying to know what this was all about. However, Nancy pulled up to Hawkins High School and you were even more confused than you had been before. Seriously, what was going on?

“The high school?” you asked.

“That’s where we are,” Nancy said. “Come on.”

Nancy got out and headed into the school. You followed, looking around. You had been here quite a few times over the last nine months to surprise Eddie with lunch on days when you had to work at night. That way you could still sneak in some time together. But you didn’t know what the hell you were doing here on a Saturday night. Nancy was leading you toward the gym. When you got to the door, she stopped.

“Go on in,” she smiled.

“Okay…”

You pushed the door open and froze in place. What were you seeing? The whole gym was decorated in glittering silver stars, sheets of tulle fell from the ceiling with twinkle lights twined through. Blue and silver balloons were in bunches all around with a disco ball hanging from the middle of the ceiling. There was a big cardboard painting of Van Gogh’s starry night as a backdrop for photos. There was a table with a punch bowl and a variety of snacks. Hanging above the table was a big banner that said “Starry Night Prom 1993.”

“What in the…” you began.

“Welcome to your prom.”

You spun and there was Eddie. He looked so handsome in black jeans, a white button up shirt, and a black jacket. His hair was pulled back into a bun, a few strands falling loosely around his face. 

“Jesus, you look absolutely beautiful. That dress is amazing,” he breathed, walking over to you. 

“Thank you. I...Eddie, what is all this?” you asked, laughing and gesturing to the gym around you.

Eddie held up a box, opening it. Inside was a beautiful corsage of white and pink roses with baby’s breath. He slid it onto your wrist. 

“Well, you told me you didn’t get to go to your prom, and even though I went and mine was lame, I didn’t want you to miss out,” he said softly, his lips pushed out in an adorable little pout. “Besides, I wanted a do-over prom because if I would have gone with you, it would have been perfect.”

“This is insane,” you breathed, looking up at him. “Did you do all this?”

“God no,” he said quickly, laughing and shaking his head. “I asked my boss if we could have the gym for the night. But the decorations, I had a lot of help with. I should say they were mostly Nancy, Jen, Robin, and Vicki. This gym would not look nearly this good if it would have been just me.”

“They did an amazing job. I love the theme. It’s beautiful,” you said.

“Oh, that was my idea,” he smiled. “I was thinking about our first night together.”

“Aww. That's so sweet. You are so sweet. Thank you.” You wound your arms around his neck, kissing him. Your heart felt like it could dance out of your chest and across the room. Damn, this man was so perfect. “So, we’re just going to dance and snack, just me and you?”

“Nope. Come on in!”

The doors opened and in came Jen and Kyle, Nancy and Steve, Robin and Vicki, and Jeff and Gareth with two girls you didn’t know. You burst out laughing. They were all dressed as if it was prom even though they were all twenty five and well past their prom days. 

“Oh my god!” you yelled, clapping your hands.

“I think someone spiked the punch!” Robin yelled, shaking a bottle of vodka. 

You were completely overwhelmed. You had spent so much time thinking you weren't worthy of love, thinking no one would ever care enough about you. Looking around this gym, you remembered what Eddie had said to you so long ago. The people you choose are often worth more than the ones you’re stuck with. He was so right. These people in this room were worth everything and they all loved you and thought you were worthy. This right here, this was your family, and you had never wanted anything more.

Steve walked over to a giant boombox and suddenly you heard a familiar song coming through the speakers. Eddie took you in his arms and you pressed your cheek against his chest, your arms wrapping around his back, your hands gripping his shoulders. 

Wise men say

Only fools rush in

But I can’t help falling in love with you

Shall I stay

Would it be a sin

If I can’t help falling in love with you

Like a river flows

Surely to the sea

Darling so it goes

Some things are meant to be

Take my hand

Take my whole life too

For I can’t help falling in love with you

“I love you Edward Munson,” you whispered, tears stinging your eyes as you swayed softly to the music. “This is so wonderful. No one has ever done anything so thoughtful for me before. How did I get so lucky?”

He smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “You were smart enough to hop on the back of my bike.”

“Such a smart decision,” you agreed with a smile.

“The smartest.”

“Can I keep you?” you asked, gazing up at him, your hand resting on his cheek. 

“Forever sweetheart,” Eddie grinned, his lips finding yours again. 

Being in his arms with the sound of your friends dancing and laughing, filled you with the same warmth you used to feel from sitting in the sunshine. The warmth melted away all of the worries and concerns and fears you had ever felt. At this moment, all of the walls you had tried to build for so long were demolished completely and you knew you'd never have to rebuild them again.

The End

Thank you so much for reading!

Taglist

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[cuckooinanest]

Personal headcanon of the ages/timeline in the batfamily

I've been trying to make some sense of the batfamily's ages and the timeline of like how long it has been since Batman has had a Robin. I've never read the comics and my knowledge of the batfamily comes from one or two animated batman movies, fanfiction, metas, and the fandom wiki. I know in the new 52, Bruce has been Batman for about 5 years. But like, it kinda doesn't make sense to me considering he has had quite the number of robins already.

There are a few consistent ages I've seen so far in the fandom like Tim discovers Batman and Robin's identity at 9 years old, Jason dies at 15, Damian becomes Robin at 10 and Bruce dies when Tim is or about to become 17, Bruce Wayne becomes an orphan at 8 years old.

So here's how I personally age the batfamily members:

Bruce Wayne becomes Batman at 25

Bruce adopts Dick three years later

Dick is 11 when he's adopted and 12 when he becomes Robin, so Dick and Bruce has an age gap of 16 years

Barbara is older than Dick by a year or two

Tim is 2 when the Graysons die, his age gap with Dick would be 9 years

If Damian wasn't grown in a lab, he could be conceived when Dick was 16

Tim discovers Robin I's identity at 9 years old

A few months or weeks after Tim discovers their identities, Dick leaves Gotham at 18

A few months or weeks later, Jason steals the Batmobile's tires at 11 and becomes Robin when he was 12. His age gap with Dick is about 7-8 years

Jason dies when he's 15

Tim becomes Robin months later at age 13, so Jason and Tim have an age gap of 2-3 years

Cassandra is the same age as Jason and gets adopted when she was 16

Stephanie is barely a year older than Tim.

Jason is resurrected and goes back to Gotham two-three years after his death then beats up Tim who was 15-16

Bruce "dies" when Tim is 17 and Damian is 10

Duke is adopted at 16 and Damian was 12 at that time

As much as I love Old Man Bruce, my head can't wrap with the idea that a 50 year old is doing the things Batman does. Plus I like the idea that Dick and Bruce has an age gap similar to Dick and Damian since the latter pair has quite the paternal feeling to their relationship, canon or not.

In some of the things I've read, Dick was aged to as young as 8 years old when he's adopted. However, because we have canon ages for when Tim finds out about their identities and when Bruce dies, I aged Dick at 11 and Tim 2, the trauma from the night could sear the memories into Tim's mind even if he's 2 years old.

I like the idea that Dick left for college or when he's in freshman year of college when Tim just found out about their identities. I think Dick would leave when he's 18 and legal and not a year younger so that Bruce has zero reasons to force him to stay

I got Jason's age in a wiki, I can't remember if it was for New 52, initially, I thought maybe Jason should be 12 when he's adopted but then it made me sad thinking about how it would be such a short Robin run for someone who believed Robin is magic. It's a good tragedy but I'm not here for it. Plus, I want to have Tim be attached to Jason's Robin more.

[ladykailitha]

Royal Pain Part 19

Hey, guys. Sorry it took so long to get this out. The chapter was fighting me and I have had the absolutely worst week. However in slightly happier news, my partner got a new job and that means I should be able to quit mine and go back to writing full time. I'll let you know more when I do, but it's looking more and more likely.

I realized it had been a while since we had an Eddie centric chapter and decided this would be the one. And I left it on a cliffhanger again. But don't worry next chapter will see more than one villain vanquished.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18

***

Eddie was seething. He hadn’t been this mad since he learned Max was moving to New York. Actually. No. He was madder then that. He was pissed.

Gareth grimaced. “They won’t do anything?”

“No,” Eddie growled. “Because he technically hasn’t violated the protection order, according to them.”

“If he can’t get with in five hundred feet,” Brian said, “then how did he find out about Steve.”

Eddie threw up his arms into the air. “That’s what I asked.”

“I’m betting,” Mandy said, “that they didn’t have a good answer?”

“Apparently since Seth showed up at Hopper’s,” Eddie snarled, “and not Steve’s shop, that he was just going around to all the tattoo parlors and threatening everyone.”

Jeff rolled his eyes. “I bet they didn’t even check with other tattoo shops and just made that shit up.”

“I even talked to Officer Callahan who was in charge of the original case file because he’s not supposed to be out of jail yet,” Eddie said, beginning to pace. “He never went.”

“What?!” came the shocked cry of outrage from everyone.

“Yeah,” Eddie continued. “Apparently he made a deal with the DA and they didn’t tell me. He got two years probation.”

“That’s bullshit!” Mandy hissed. “He was going to kill you.”

“Criminal mischief,” Eddie said. “Domestic abuse down to criminal mischief. $300 fine, two year probation, and forced to take a class about how not to be a violent offender.”

“It’s because you’re a man, isn’t it?” Gareth asked, licking his lips slowly. “These fuckers don’t think a man can be abused.”

Eddie pursed his lips into a line and nodded.

“Hop’s calling in a couple of favors to keep Steve safe,” he said. “But that does jack shit about me. And this isn’t me calling out that shit. That’s Hop’s prerogative but he’s my dumb ass ex, who’s protecting me?”

“We are,” Jeff said. “You don’t go anywhere without one of us. Garth, since you’re the only one without a roommate at the moment, Eddie’s going to stay with you. Brian, talk to Cecil, he’s studying law. See what he can recommend.”

Gareth and Brian both nodded.

Eddie buried his head into his hands. “This is such bullshit.”

Mandy came up and gave him a hug. “We’ll get through this. We did before and we will again. And this time we have more people that would be willing to help. Steve, Robin, Chrissy, hell the whole of the Royal Pain would throw hands for you.”

Eddie chuckled. He knew that too. “Well, maybe not Erica.”

Brian snorted. “That girl would sell her own mother for a cookie.”

“Not even a Girl Scout cookie,” Jeff agreed. “That girl is bound for world domination.”

“No doubt.”

*

“You tell me right now,” Wayne said when Eddie had called that night, “do you need me up there? Because work be damned, boy, I’ll be up there in two shakes of lamb’s tail.”

Eddie chewed on his nail. He felt like that little boy all over again. Being given the choice between being with his uncle or being put in a foster home. He didn’t want to be a bother to anyone, but he knew. He knew that Wayne was someone that wouldn’t care. That he could be as big a bother as he wanted, he would still be loved.

He let out a shuddering breath and like that little boy all those years ago said, “Yes. Please.”

“I’ve got some vacation time coming,” Wayne said as if he didn’t have weeks and weeks of it stored up because he was never sick a day in his life. “I cane be up there for as long as you need me, you hear?”

“I’m staying with Gareth for the time being,” Eddie said solemnly, “because Jeff is worried that Seth will follow me home.”

“Smart man, your Jeff,” Wayne agreed. “I have a friend in Indy I can crash on the sofa of for a couple of days until I can find something a little more permanent.”

“Yeah,” he whispered. “Let me know when you get into town and we’ll meet up for lunch.”

“You can finally take me to that pizza place you’ve been going on about for months.”

Eddie laughed, a knot loosening in his chest. “You’ve got it, old man.”

*

A few days later Steve was waiting for the pizza he had ordered for the shop, playing silly games on his phone when the bell announced new arrivals. He looked up instinctively and grinned.

He waved. “Eddie!”

Eddie lit up with a big smile. “Stevie?” He hopped over, an older man following a little slower behind.

“Hey!” Steve greeted. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Eddie’s smile turned into a grin. “DiMaggio’s is the best pizza place in Indy, not coming here is a crime.”

“If it’s not it certainly should be,” Steve agreed with his own answering grin.

“Steve,” Eddie said, “this is my uncle, Wayne. He’s staying in town for a few days.”

Steve’s mood was dampened a bit, knowing why he was in town. “Nice to meet you. I was planning a trip back down Hawkins at the end of the summer so that Eddie could introduce us, sorry we had meet under lesser than ideal circumstances.”

Wayne blinked at him for a moment before turning to Eddie. “This one is a keeper.”

Eddie blushed, shoving his hair in front of his face, ducking his head to hide his embarrassment.

Steve just smiled fondly at him. “I think that’s up to him.”

Wayne’s eyebrows shot up. “I like him.”

That surprised a laugh out of Eddie causing him to drop the hair. “Me too.”

“Let me just go order our pizzas,” Eddie murmured and darted for the front counter.

“He’s cute,” Steve said, waving his hand to the chair in front of him for Wayne to sit.

Wayne took the seat and smiled. “He certainly is. I’m glad the world didn’t beat the silliness out of him.”

“Me too,” Steve agreed. “I love how earnest and outgoing he is.”

Wayne hummed. “He tell what was going on?”

Steve nodded. “I’m afraid it’s my fault. Seth came after me at a friend’s shop, tried to threaten me into leaving Eddie alone.”

“I don’t think being threatened is the fault of the victim,” he said, his voice a deep comforting rumble.

Steve blushed. “That’s what Jeff and Robin said.”

“Jeff I know,” Wayne said, “Robin I don’t, but it sounds to me like they both have their heads on straight and you should be listening to them and not that voice in the back of your head.” He tapped Steve forehead for emphasis.

The bell above the door rang again and Mike and Will walked in. Steve raised a eyebrow when he spotted them.

“DiMaggio’s is certainly hopping for a random Thursday,” he commented dryly to Will when he lead a slightly reluctant Mike over to their table. Eddie arrived at the table just moments later and there are hugs and greetings all around.

“You caused quite a stir at the latest family dinner,” Will said with a huge grin to Steve.

Steve huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, how did that happen?”

“Jonathan is back on Mom’s couch,” he said with a smirk.

Steve reared his head back. “And how did that involve me?”

“Argyle kicked him out of the apartment because him and Nancy lied to him about who’s fault your and her relationship ended.”

“Nancy is furious at them both,” Mike said with a half shrug. “I’m not sure their relationship is going to survive that little revelation.”

Steve winced. “Yeah...that’s on them though. How was I to know that Jonathan hadn’t been honest to Argyle about that.”

Eddie bumped his shoulder. “You weren’t.”

“Oh we are totally on your side,” Will said.

Mike nodded. “Yeah, man. It was straight up bullshit all the lying they did.”

“Mom’s pissed because she really liked you,” Will continued, “and believed Jonathan about how things went down. Like of course she did. He’s her son, but she should have tried to get your side of it.”

“Those eight years are totally on her,” Steve said, holding his hands up in surrender. “You’ve been trying to tell her for years to at least talk to me about it.”

Will and Mike nodded.

Mike chewed on his lip as he played with the loose string on the hem of his t-shirt. “Is it bad I hope Nancy and Jonathan break up?”

The table got silence for a moment.

Wayne lifted his chin. “Why’s that, son?”

“Because I don’t think she wants a relationship. I think she was only with Jonathan and Steve,” he said waving at him with his left hand, “is because that’s what you’re ‘supposed’ to do.”

“Steve!” the counter called.

Steve got up to get his pizza order, he stopped back at the table. “I don’t think it’s a bad you want your sister to learn how to be herself without a partner. I think it shows that you’re more mature then she is. You’re a good man, Mike.”

He clapped Mike’s shoulder and then waved goodbye to everyone. He pulled out his keys and walked out to his car, flipping the key ring around as he thought.

He never intended this to happen when he saw his ex at the grocery store, but honestly? Maybe it was a good thing to get all those wounds brought to light so that they could heal properly.

For all their sakes.

*

Steve was ready for the weekend. His week had been a literal hell. But Eddie had promised that he would have fun. The band had been practicing a couple of new songs and were debuting them Saturday night.

He sat at the curve of the table, sandwiched between Robin, who wouldn’t care, only to tease him mercilessly later, and Mandy who got it, how fucking sexy Eddie and the band was when they were on stage.

Steve wished he could say he was better prepared every time Eddie got on stage, but every week Eddie went out of his way to drive Steve absolutely wild.

“He does this on purpose doesn’t he?” Steve asked after a particularly hot number where Eddie fell to his knees grinding on his guitar.

Mandy laughed. “I would like to put you out of your misery and say yes, but no. When Eddie gets on stage he loses all connection to the audience and just rocks out. His fans love it.”

Steve looked around the dingy bar and had to agree. They were just as turned on as he was. He shifted uncomfortably in his jeans, clearing his throat. “If we...” he cleared his throat again. “I mean if Eddie were to–if we were–”

Mandy took pity on him. “If you two were going out would the fans tear you to pieces for touching what they can’t?”

Steve bit his lip and nodded, looking at his hands that were twisted in lap.

She gave his knee a squeeze. “I honestly don’t know what the fans would do. But Eddie wouldn’t give a damn what they think. He’s been booed before for a song that they didn’t think was metal enough and he didn’t let that stop him. Not once.”

Steve let out a breath. It was always something that worried him. He knew he went against the grain in everything he did, but he didn’t want that with Eddie. He didn’t want to be with Eddie just because it went against the norm of what was expected of either of them.

They arrived at the club and already Robin was on the dance floor. She loved dancing and soon Mandy, Chrissy, Jeff, and Brian were out there with her. Gareth, Eddie, and Steve watched in amusement as their friends let loose on the dance floor, living it up under the rainbow lights and the thumping beat of the music.

Steve turned around and Eddie wasn’t there.

“You seen Eddie?” he shouted at Gareth.

Gareth shot up and looked around. “Shit.”

Somehow during their watching of their friends cutting it up, Eddie had slipped away.

“You check out back to see if he’s gone for a smoke,” Steve said.

Gareth nodded.

“I’m going to check the bar.”

Gareth nodded again.

Across the crowded room, a man in a tailored white suit grinned as he moved to the back of the club where the restrooms were, eyes glittering with want and rage as he scented his prey.

***

Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Epilogue

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[damagedintellect]

Trafalgar Law x reader

💌 Fake it till you make it: Chapter 1 💌

Summary: To avoid an arranged marriage set up by Doflamingo, Law needs to bring home a girlfriend during the Christmas break and you just so happen to be a theatre major in the same dorm at One Piece University. What could possibly go wrong?

Tropes: College AU, Fake Dating, Idiots in love, [Later chapters have🍋]

Chapter Navigation: [1]  [2]  [3]  [4]  [5]  [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

💌 Word count: 4,416 💌  | Next Chapter =>

The common room was as packed as ever as finals had approached. It only got busier with the holidays around the corner. Luckily for you being a theater major had its perks in that your finals weren’t the traditional two to three hour long exam of your entire course curriculum. Unlike the rest of your social circle you got to sit back and relax as they crammed as much of the semester as they could remember into their already burnt out heads as they existed entirely off of coffee and other caffeinated beverages. You attended One Piece university which prided itself on being the most diverse and upstanding college of its time in that it was the top rated university across several different majors. One Piece of everything or something like that. It was interesting how oddly enough each of your dorm mates seemingly came together in such a tight knit group despite very few of you actually being in the same classes.

You had already turned in your final paper and the production you were cast as the lead in closed the weekend prior leaving only your dance and voice finals which were later in the week but all in all you were sitting pretty. You lazily stirred from your spot on the couch. It was still exhausting being a theater major but you had always been a night owl. Rubbing your eyes in an attempt to wake yourself up was a mistake as black ink smudged the backs of your hands. You could hear a chorus of snickering around you.

"Shishishishi (Y/N) looks like a raccoon dog!" Luffy keeled over draping an arm around Chopper causing him to spill a few papers from the stack he was working on. He only sighed but you could feel the annoyed rage bubbling up in his study partner as Law looked like he contemplated hitting the prankster with his thick medical book. "Oi, Mugiwara-ya if you're not going to study you could at least stay out of the way." Luffy only continued to laugh through his apology. Nami snapped a photo before she handed you a mirror "Guess that means I was right!" She giggled as Robin passed you some make up wipes to help get rid of the marks. You could also see Franky and Usopp stifling their laughter in the corner as they worked on their inventions.

You frowned "Okay haha, I take it this is Ace's handy work?" Not surprising. You had pranked Ace earlier in his burnt out sleep deprived state making him think he was late to his final only for him to realize halfway through taking someone else's exam that it was Tuesday. He didn't even have class on Tuesday. Moreover it was the Latin final he walked into. It made sense why the exam seemed like it was in a different language. You supposed this was payback that you should have seen coming.

Sanji passed you a cup of tea sitting in between you and Robin "He was here not too long ago. Said he was going to the library before you could hunt him down." You laughed while taking a sip from the tea. "As if that'd stop me but I'll let him live for now." You smiled at your mug. It was very good tea.

"So what's everyone doing for the holidays?" Ussop asked, wiping his hands as he joined everyone else on the couches. It seemed like most people were going home. You sighed knowing you'd be stuck in the dorms again. There was no point in going home since there was no one waiting for you.

Last year Zoro stayed back at the dorms with you but he ended up practically hibernating the entire break. You don't mind being alone but you're going to be really bored. There were only so many video games you could play and Netflix you could watch before you go stir crazy. If you weren’t a broke college student it wouldn't be that bad you could always go on a trip but theater consumes all of your free time and expendable cash is not exactly your best friend.

The conversation was put on pause as Law's phone rang. The opening theme to "Sora warrior of the sea" fills the silence as he grimaced hastily packing his things up giving Chopper last minute tips as he rushed out of the room. In his rush it seems like he dropped his wallet. As the conversation resumed you picked it up and walked out to catch up with your favorite medic.

—

"I don't need you guys to play matchmaker for me. You can tell Doflamingo to shove it up his ass."

Law pinched the bridge of his nose. When he went home last year he was less than pleased to find out that Doflamingo had tried to set him up with the daughter of a business partner but he declined. He left early for good measure when he tried to threaten him with an arranged marriage. When he saw Corazon's name on his caller ID his stomach sank at the thought of him continuing the sentiment. He kept in contact with his adopted family through mostly texts and the occasional visit during the holidays it was very rare he got a phone call. At this point he was expecting the worst.

"I know my brother isn't a good person all the time but you're twenty-six and he just wants you to make sure you’re taken care of."

Law rolled his eyes, "I can take care of myself," truly he had no interest in romance but if it meant he could shove it in that smug bastard's face then he was prepared to die on this hill "Besides I already have a girlfriend." Law said without thinking about the ramifications.

You turned the corner hearing the tail end of his sentence. Since when did Law have a girlfriend? He hated his fangirls and you could have sworn he was wing manning for Shachi the other night. On top of that you always thought he swung the other way. Thinking back about it, maybe he just had a soft spot for Luffy, most people do. When your eyes met he raised an eyebrow but you held up his wallet. He wasn't paying attention to what Corazon was saying and quickly agreed without a second thought as he reached out and took it from you.

On the other end of the phone he could barely make out the over joyed "Fantastic! I'll tell Doffy you're bringing your girlfriend with you this year! See you soon, love you!"

"Yeah yeah, love you too." Law’s eyes widened as he realized what Corazon just said. It was already too late he heard the call end. Stunned by his own stupidity he spaced out.

You snapped your hand in front of Law’s stunned face and you laughed "Earth to Law? Since when did you have a girlfriend?" He slowly turned to you with a light bulb going off in his head "(Y/N)-ya you're an actor right? What are you doing over the break?"

You blinked at him "I was just going to stay at the dorms, why?" You had a feeling you knew where this was going. He wasn't serious was he?

"If I paid you, would you come with me to Dressrosa and pretend to be my girlfriend?" That's the one benefit of going to One Piece Law thought, it was convenient having people in every trade under the same roof.

You were taken aback by the request but you do like money and you had to admit Law was attractive. He was your type that's for sure. It definitely would be interesting to peek behind the veil that was Trafalgar Law. The self proclaimed "surgeon of death" was a mystery to most. You weren’t really sure where you stood with the other. You and Law would talk if you had the time in passing but you never went out of your way to hangout outside of the friend group. To you Law was easy enough to get along with and you knew how to play the doting perfect girlfriend. Money, room and board, and a fake family experience was like winning the lottery over being single, sad and alone for Christmas and New year's.

"Sure, why not. I got nothing else better to do." You shrugged nonchalantly "Sounds fun if I'm being honest." You rocked back on your heels thinking about how you wanted to play it off. What kind of girlfriend would you be? You had so many options. What kind of girl would Law have fallen for?

Law sighed in relief. Step one was complete but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. Fooling Doflamingo would be hard. He knew you were a good actor. Bepo had begged him to see the show. He was kind of impressed with your range. That wasn't the problem. It was mostly him that he was worried about. Doffy knew how to get under Law’s skin, and who knows what kind of trap he'd be walking into.

He needed to be ready for anything the blonde could possibly throw his way. Law needed a plan. He stared at you intently, he really needed to sell this to get his family off his back but he never gave relationships a second thought. Sure he's had his share of drunken one night stands but those were hardly intimate. Emotions and feelings were never really his forte but obsessive pda wasn't going to be believable, would it? No, that wouldn't cut it.

At some point Law had folded his arms as he leaned against the wall closing his eyes lost in thought. He almost forgot you were there when you stripped him of his iconic hat placing it on your head as you decided to take some selfies.

Law scowled at you which only made you laugh and take another picture with his frown. He glared at you, almost snarling as he grabbed for his hat "What are you doing?"

You dodged out of the way "I need a new lock screen. It'd be weird if we didn't have any pictures of us together right?" You threw your arms around him trying to get a good picture, surprised that he didn’t push you away. You pulled back to check how it turned out when Law rested his chin on your head and pulled you into his chest. Your cheeks flushed at the sudden closeness as you see him follow suit snapping a photo of his own much to his dismay.

"Like this?" He showed you the picture. You're not going to lie, you two made a really cute couple. "That one's actually really cute. Send it to me, that'll be my home screen."

He nodded before asking "Should we take more or should this be enough?" It was a good question.

"We should, but later. After we change or something it would probably look suspicious if all our pictures were in the same outfit at the same location." You scrolled through your camera feed sending some candid shots Nami and Sanji have taken of you earlier in the year.

"Just in case you never know, right?"

He slipped his phone back in his pocket after saving the photos. You agreed to meet up with him later to go over specifics. Things that you both should know about each other and general boundaries. You laugh at the thought, being an actor and all kinda skews your perception on what makes other people uncomfortable. It's just like another show, you're pretty much okay with the notion of doing everything a normal couple would do. On top of that you've had to kiss your fair share of people, guys, girls and everything in between in front of a large audience. This makes no difference to you but this is Law we're talking about and the only people who are physically affectionate are Bepo and Luffy. Although Bepo practically grew up with Law, and Luffy doesn't know what personal space means.

When later rolled around you ended up in Law’s room with a thick packet detailing an elaborate plan that you thought was completely unnecessary. "You do know the more shit you make up for our backstory the more shit you have to remember right?" You said as you flipped through the pages skimming through the borderline script he's conjured up.

"Yeah no sorry to say but none of this is going to be believable. I can’t see you acting to save your life and this is a long shot even for you."

Law sighed out of frustration "Then what do you suggest." His jaw clenched clearly irritated with the idea of having to take direction from you but hey this is what you major in. The art of deception.

"Well the closer our story is to the truth the more believable it is. Your family knows you so it's best if you just act natural. Saying we met at a party when you never leave your room and you hate people sounds pretty sus."

"Tsk"

You rolled your eyes "You know I'm right. None of this sounds like you, it sounds like some bad cheesy romcom?" Law flinched; it was true he had written it based on what Shachi and Penguin told him instead of trying to fit himself into the puzzle. "Think of it this way. What kind of girl could you see yourself falling for because right now this sounds like one of the fangirls that you so adamantly avoid." He grimaced looking over what he wrote down.

You leaned back in his desk chair "The way I see it right, you wouldn't be interested in any normal girl. It'd probably be one of two ways, one being that we would have absolutely hated each other's guts because we found the other insufferable until we realized how well we compliment each other when there is a common goal. Or two I pretty much decide from the get go I was going to be your friend against your protest like Luffy and eventually you got soft on me."

Law hummed it was probably true given his friend group "Sounds about right. I didn't like you when you first moved in either." You stared at him flatly "You didn't like anyone when we moved in. Even now I'm pretty sure you just tolerate our existence but what made you warmup to me?" Who could blame you, you were curious.

Law folded his arms leaning back on the headboard "Well for one you're not a diva and you are actually good at what you do. Overtly confident people annoy me when they don't have the skills to back up their claims." You hold eye contact with him and when he doesn't look away you smirked.

"Didn't know you thought so highly of me." You were met with another neutral expression. You hope you can read him by the time you're at Dressrosa it would be easier if you could.

He shrugged "I can hold an intellectual conversation with you without wanting to kill myself." You laughed at that knowing full well the amount of effort it takes him to have a conversation with Luffy.

"Good that’s better to work with than, our eyes met across the room butterflies in my stomach crap." You playfully teased knowing you were tiptoeing around a time bomb. "God I get it already. Are we done here?" He already wasn't fond of the situation but you knew what you were doing. You stood up to stretch a thought dawning on you that you never brought up "I guess so, oh since you're paying me I really don’t care about personal boundaries. Holding hands, kissing, cuddles whatever is fine with me. I'm your girlfriend now so don't be shy." You looked over at him, his expression unreadable as ever. You grinned "Or do, you're pretty cute when you're flustered." You shot him a playful wink as he rolled his eyes and scoffed.

You sat on the corner of his bed seeing how far you could tease him "What not the affectionate type? I'm just saying if we get caught under the mistletoe it'd be weird if you hesitate." He didn't budge, only sighed knowing it was true. There was so much he had to keep track of because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. Doflamingo pissed him off to no end and he tends not to think rationally because of it.

"This is already annoying but it beats an arranged marriage." He leaned back partially laying down. "Oh shit, really?" What kind of family does Law have?

Law only rubbed his face nodding "When you meet them you'll understand why. They're kind of a big deal but I'll tell you more later."

—

The next few days breezed by quickly with you and Law secretly meeting up to take pictures and talk about general information. You had to force most of it out of Law though despite this all being part of his plan it seemed he didn't want any part of it. Which was fair enough this was all just to avoid that arranged marriage but still. He could work with you a little right. It took forever to even find out that man's hates bread with a severe passion. Something about his uncle Trebol being a disgusting excuse of a human being. Other than that you both were getting along fine.

It was weird, you know you were both friends before but now you felt as close as Shachi or Penguin and on their last day in the dorms they even invited you out with them. You ended up making fun of Law for most of the night. He stayed on his stool at the bar and you kept making eyes at him from across the room similarly to his failed attempt at writing. He muttered something about getting revenge that you wouldn't see it coming but you only laughed. It wasn’t until you were four or five drinks in that you realized Law had been the one ordering them not the hottie from across the room while also telling the bartender to make them stronger. They almost hit you all at once but you were feeling good. At one point you even wingman for Penguin and you're pretty sure they even went home together.

You had fun dancing around with Bepo but you would glance over at Law occasionally. He wasn't sporting his usual frown; you could almost say he was smiling. You couldn't stop yourself from asking "You think Law’s having a good time?"

Bepo laughed "Since the two of you started hanging out he's definitely smiled more but he likes to sit and watch at these. I heard you're going to Dressrosa." You perked up, you didn’t think he would have told anyone about it. You nodded not wanting to fight the music. Bepo put a hand near your ear so he could whisper into it. "Don’t let Doffy win. He has a way of getting Law to do what he wants whether Law is aware of it or not. Make sure you bring him home okay."

"I will."

The rest of the night was a blur but you vaguely recalled Law trying to wrangle you in his car. When you came too you were not doing too hot. Your head was pounding but how could you say no to free drinks. When your eyes finally opened it was to the snap of a camera. This had been a set up. Law was sitting next to your bed grinning at his phone as he showed you said picture.

Your hair was unruly and all over the place, your makeup was smeared, mouth hanging open, limbs sprawled out twisted around your blanket and the dress you were wearing was falling off your shoulders. You were a mess.

"Revenge sure is sweet."

It was too early in the morning for him to be this chipper. "Okay I'll admit you got me. Now help me get rid of this headache." Surprisingly Law helped you get back to rights. Mostly because he did this to you and partly because he didn't want you blowing chunks on the way to Dressrosa.

You were in and out of it for the drive. Part of you thinks Law did this on purpose so he didn't have to deal with you asking too many questions he wasn't ready to answer yet. You ended up taking a nap for most of it. It was a few hours away so you should get there late afternoon, evening. When you were around twenty minutes away Law woke you up.

"We're almost there. You feeling better now?"

You looked out the window the sun was on the cusp of setting reflecting off of the fresh fallen snow. It was very beautiful "Immaculate! Are you ready to do this?"

Law sighed gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white "As ready as I'll ever be" You wondered what kind of place it would be as you passed more and more lavish estates you start feeling nervous and you were never nervous. You wondered if he was going the right way. Law cleared his throat "There’s one thing I forgot to tell you before we left." He paused trying to collect his thoughts "You know how I'm adopted?"

"Yeah?" you were hesitant as you noticed a huge manor on top of the hill you were approaching "I was adopted by the Donquixote family."

Your jaw dropped, you knew the names sounded familiar. Doflamingo Donquixote, founder of Smile Corp, the biggest toy manufacturer in the nation. Law’s family was practically royalty. "You decided now would be a good time to tell me!" You stare at him.

"I admit, it probably wasn't the best idea but the look on your face was priceless." Law pulled in to the open gates and parked "But now you see what I mean."

"No wonder they want to arrange your marriage." You looked at Law in disbelief "I just have more questions, like how'd you end up at One Piece? Not eager to take up the family business?"

He grimaced at you while getting out of the car "You could say that." He walked over to help you out of the car. You were still shocked just staring at him. You couldn’t see him with a significant other let alone being married. This is what Law had been hiding all this time. He put his hands on your shoulders "You're not thinking of backing out now are you? I never took you for a quiter (Y/N)-ya." He challenged you, being smug about it too. Seems he knows you so well.

You finally snapped out of it "As if you could get rid of me that easily." You were on a mission. You promised Bepo, the payment was just an added bonus almost forgotten at this point.

A tall blonde with a black feathery overcoat nearly sprinted across the courtyard. Right before he made it over he slipped on the ice but quickly recovered. Law gave you a reassuring look as if this happens all the time before the taller gentleman spoke "Law! Long time no see!" He encompassed both of you in a hug lifting you off the floor.

When he set you back down Law gestured to you "Corazon, this is (Y/N)-ya, (Y/N)-ya this is Corazon he's my adopted father. Doflamingo's younger brother." The blonde looked you up and down before extending his hand to you. You went to firmly shake it but he pulled you in for another hug "Thank you for taking care of Law. I know he can be a handful. It means a lot to me that he's finally found someone who tolerates him."

"Hey, I am right here ya know!" Law frowned at Corazon while pulling your bags from the car. You only laughed at his frustration before addressing Corazon. "Someone has to look out for him. Especially with his work ethic," you clicked your tongue "Someone has to make sure he sleeps." You smiled back at Corazon. He looked like he was so happy he could cry.

"Again, I am right here." Law held out your bag glaring at you. Although you noticed his cheeks were lightly tinted pink and you could see the faintest spot of red tint on his ears. You grab your bag from him as others come out to meet you. He only groaned and Corazon put a hand on his shoulder as presumably his sister came to greet you both.

"Heard you actually got a girlfriend. So how much are you paying her?" She threw an arm around your shoulder "Blink twice if you've been kidnapped." You smiled purposely deciding to have a staring contest with the green haired women.

Law rolled his eyes and scoffed "This is Monet, don't listen to a word she says she likes causing trouble." He gestured to the black haired woman with a cute ribbon tying back her hair "That's Baby five, be careful when asking her for help she is incapable of saying no and next to her is sugar who despite looking like a ten year old is actually in her twenties like us."

Baby 5 dropped herself on your other shoulder. "It's okay, you can tell us if he's holding you hostage." You laughed but gave them both a quizzical look "Is it really that unbelievable that I'm willingly dating your brother?"

Sugar finished the handful of grapes in her mouth before answering "Yes! You're too pretty and big brother isn't nice at all." She pouted and popped another grape in her mouth "Plus you're the first girl he's ever brought back. We've been waiting to make fun of him."

You looked back to Law who looked like he was having a conniption, a vein even popping out of his forehead glaring at his younger sisters. You gently slipped out of the girl's grasp before gracefully taking Law’s hand in yours. With the most smitten expression you could muster you tried to ease his suffering by giving him an out "Show me around?" You softly smiled at him as his eyes pleaded. He pulled you into the manor but you could still hear Corazon say "Well I like her."

___

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[xoxo-sarah]

I Wanna Be Yours || Part 10

Part 9 | part 11

↝a/n: it's officially been over a year since I started this series. That is just insane to me. Sorry it's taking me so long! Much love 🩷

↝pairing: Robin Buckley x fem!Wheeler!reader

↝Warning: possible spoilers, cannon events, throwing up, the 'demo'bats from the show, Steve getting hurt, cursing, blood, slightly proofread, pinning,

↝⎙ 6.13.24

You flopped on the ground, soaking wet and panting. Particles that resembled that of dead embers swirling up from a fire flew around, making you blink.

Nancy got to her feet, running towards Steve, who was struggling to breathe.

Two bat-like creatures were biting at his sides, another having its tail wrapped around his neck. He tried grabbing at them and at anything that could possibly help. You followed suit, seemingly having telepathic powers with how you two moved to do the same thing. Nancy picked up an oar right as you heard two thunks behind you.

Eddie cursed, moving to stand. He leaned against a boat, grabbing the other oar. He yelled your name, the wooden tool flying through the air, landing at your feet. You yanked it up, swinging at anything that let out a squeak.

Nancy wacked one of the squeaking creatures with the oar, causing it to fly away with a whine. “Hey, there.” She leaned over Steve's body, and he registered that there were other people. That you all jumped in after him.

Nancy's arms moved automatically, swinging every which way, at anything that was coming toward her.

Robin ran to stand on the tail that was choking Steve.

Eddie stood, not knowing what to do. It was all so overwhelming. All the weight of the last few days sat on his chest like an elephant. A whisper of his name had his eyes focusing on you, blinking quickly as you ran towards him. He didn't have time to register you swinging at his head until he was pushed back, a wail ringing on his ear as one of Satan's spawns flopped at his feet.

He straightened his head, turning towards the other group. “Nancy! Behind you! Watch out!” At Eddie's exclamation, you turned, seeing one attach itself into the back of her neck. She yelled, dropping her oar. Yours fell out of your hand, and you were right at her side, yelling and pulling at the slimy yet scaly body.

“Oh my god, Nancy!" Robin tried helping you, pulling and prying.

“Get it off of me!” Nancy shrieked.

Eddie picked up the oar you dropped, hitting anything that was flying.

Steve ripped the tail from his neck, moving to sit up.

Nancy fell forward on her knees as her neck was finally freed. Your grip loosened, letting Robin have full control as she slammed the thing into the ground over and over.

Eddie used the broken part to stab, yelling as he impaled one in the air.

Steve threw his against the grind, until he put his foot on its upper body, ripping its tail from its body. He panted, throwing the tail somewhere, before spitting out blood. You looked Nancy over, your eyes moving to Robin, frantically searching her for any injury, doing it quickly so she- or anyone- wouldn't see you. She caught your eye, heaving.

“Fuck!”

“Steve!” Nancy frantically made her way to Steve, “oh, my god.”

“ Jesus H. Christ!” Eddie's oar clattered to the ground as he began pacing around.

“ Are you okay?” Nancy gawked at Steve's body, noticing every injury. She gasped, as he moved his hand from his side.

“Well, they took about a pound of flesh, but other than that, yeah, never better.”

You stepped closer to Robin, inspecting the bat in front of her.

“ Uh, do you guys think these bats have, like, rabies?”

“What?”

It's just that rabies are, like, my number one greatest fear. And I think we should probably get you to a doctor really soon because once the symptoms set in, it's too late. You're already, like, dead." Robin's breathing became shallow.

You quickly stood, grabbing her face. Maybe it was to comfort her, or yourself-as your hands were shaking against her cheeks. “Robin. Robin, he doesn't have rabies.” Your voice was soft, yet stern. She stared into your eyes, switching between them with her own doe eyes. The other three watched, until a loud squawking echoed in the distance behind you. You dropped her face, turning toward the sound.

More bats flew toward you, stopping around where you fell through the glowing gate.

“Aright, there’s not that many.” The bats began this awful screeching, ringing in your head like a headache.

“We can take ‘em. Right?”

More screeching came from the distance, where the bats had flown from. “You were saying?” Robin glanced at you. You didn’t dare look in her direction.

Nancy frantically looked around, “The wood. Come on.” She began running, Steve and Eddie in tow.

Robin sighed, “Great. More running.”

“I should’ve stayed with the kids.” you said quietly, only loud enough for Robin to hear, before running toward the wood. If Nance had heard you, she would never let it go. Even if you did help save her from bats. It wouldn’t matter in the end.

After running like your life depended on it- probably because it did-, Nancy noticed a rock, quickly realizing it was Skull Rock. She halted, pointing at the rock for Steve and Eddie to go ahead and get under. When Robin caught up, Nancy searched behind her, “Y/n, c’mon!” You didn’t hear her. Your focus was on the ground and making your feet move.

You all huddled under the rock, trying to catch your breath, but it didn’t do any good. Your hands squeezed at the flesh of your thighs in your crouched position. Squeezing your eyes shut, you let your head fall against the rock behind you. You gave no min to the tingling it caused.

You could hear the bats stop- or at least move far enough away. Robin stood, moving from under the rock, exhaling, “Oh, okay. That was close.”

“Yeah,” Eddie’s voice broke, “too close.”

Rapidly blinking, you lifted yourself up, catching Steve losing his balance and leaning against one of the rock walls out of the corner of your eye. “Oh, sh-shit.”

Nancy turned, “Steve? Jesus…” She leapt forward, looking at his wounds.

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” he whispered, not wanting to worry anyone.

“No, no. No, you’re not. You’re losing blood. Come on, sit. Alright?”

Steve grunted, but obliged, his body dropping against the hard round. Nancy squatted in front of him. He moved his hand that was covering his side. Blood coated his hands, and trailed from his wound to under his waistband. Robin gasped, Steve grunted, and Nancy internally panicked.

You, on the other hand, felt sick. Your eyes were glued to where the blood was gushing out, your empty stomach feeling like it would come up as a whole any second.

Nancy ripped the bottom of her shirt, as Robin kneeled at Steve’s side. “Okay, so the good news is I’m pretty sure wooziness is not a common symptom of rabies, but if you start having hallucinations or muscle spasms, or you start feeling aggressive-like you wanna punch me or something-you should totally let me know.”

“Robin?”

“Yeah?” She looked at him, worry clear in her eyes.

“I kinda wanna punch you.”

Robin laughed, “Sense of humor still intact. That’s a good sign.”

You silently made your way out of the opposite end of the rock, walking away from the others. Sinking to your knees, you began heaving. You tried to be as quiet as possible, as to not alert anyone.

“Where’s Y/n?” Nancy looked around, not seeing you. She locked eyes with Robin, silently asking her to find you. As Nancy stood and began walking around the rock, Nancy glanced up at Steve, before she wrapped the torn shirt around his waist.

“Y/n?” Robin knew you couldn’t have gone too far. Coming around the corner, she saw you hunched over. You were dry heaving, leaning against a much smaller rock. She quickened her pace, dropped beside you. “Oh, y/n.” She whispered, grabbing the hair that was falling in your face, pulling it into a make-shift ponytail.

When you were done, you wiped your mouth, although nothing had actually come out. You fell back, sitting on your knees, as Robin undid the loose ponytail you had thrown your hair in, trying not to pull at the knots the water had created. She threw your hair in a messy ponytail, just to get it out of your face. It wasn’t at all flattering, but you really couldn’t care less. You both sat in silence for a minute. You sighed, wiping sweat off your forehead.

“God-sorry.” the embarrassment hit you as you motioned to where you had been hunched over.

Robin only shook her head. “It’s no problem. One of us was bound to throw up soon. I mean, did you see Steve? Gross. I’m just glad it wasn’t me.” She offered a little humor behind her words. You could only offer a small, amused smile in return, before your attention was brought to Eddie, who had made his way onto a rock, looking into the eerie sky.

“So, uh…this place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit?”

“Pretty much.” Nancy answered Eddie, helping Steve walk. Eddie pursed his lips, starting to step down. “Wait! Watch out for the vines. It’s all a hive mind.”

Eddie froze, “It’s all a what?”

Robin offered her hand for you when she had stood up, but something inside you made you shake your head, offering a thankful smile. You got to your feet, stepping away from her.

Steve answered Eddie, “All the creepy crawlies around here, dude. They’re, like, one or something. You step on a vine, you’re stepping on a bat, you’re stepping on Vecna.”

“Shit.” Eddie tried walking down the rock, avoiding the vines.

Robin walked forward, away from the awkward air you had created. “But everything from our world is still her, right? Except people, obviously?”

Nancy nodded, “As far as I understand it, yeah.”

“So, theoretically, we could go to the police station and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate?”

Steve glanced at the girl, “yeah, I highly doubt the Hawkins PD had grenades, Robin. But guns, yeah, sure.”

“Well, we don’t have to go all the way downtown for guns. I have guns in my bedroom.”

Eddie jumped off the rock, landing with a thud. “You, Nancy Wheeler, have guns - plural- in your bedroom?”

“Full of surprises, isn’t she?” Robin grinned, thankful for the woman at the moment. You felt the same sick feeling in your stomach, but for a different reason than before.

Nancy ignored her, “A Russian Makarov and a revolver.”

Steve stepped forward, right by Nancy to whisper in her ear, “Yeah, you almost shot me with that one.”

Nancy turned to him, a playful tint in her eyes, “You nearly deserved it.”

Eddie chunked his vest at Steve’s bare chest, ruining whatever tension that was building in Steve and Nancy’s little bubble.

“For your modesty, dude.”

A sudden rumbling of the ground had everyone stop talking. You tripped over your feet, moving to the left to avoid landing on a vine, but ended up landing on somebody else, causing a domino effect. Robin caught her breath from under you, her hot breath fanning against your ear. A mean growl sounded from the distance.

“It sounded like a dinosaur.”

“Don’t…even.” Eddie glared at you from under Robin, moving his legs, that half of your body landing on, to kick you, no bite behind it. Truly, he wouldn’t doubt there was some kind of dinosaur creature lurking. He didn't appreciate the teasing. “Guns seem like a pretty good idea to me.”

“Yeah, me too.” Robin puffed.

You stood, offering your hand to Robin this time. She stared at it, seemingly understanding that this was your silent attempt at apologizing for earlier. She took your hand, taking your apology in the process.

Eddie wiped the sweat from the palms, before taking your outstretched hand.

“So, what are we waiting for?” Steve threw the vest on, grabbing his flashlight, and began leading the way.

•© 2021-2024 by xoxo-sarah on Tumblr•

• My work is not to be translated, copied, modified, and/or reposted on any other site without my permission. [!I don't give permission!]

🫧 Taglistׂׂ ૢ ~ @overtrred28 @ihatepeanutss @jovana1234578 @dobbycarl @kyleeservopoulos @marirxse

[longingforrotkehlchen]

My Top 10 of 2022

I thought it'd be fun to share my favourite ten photos from last year. Surprisingly, I found it a bit difficult to narrow them down (I'm never really in awe of the pictures I take, though they do grow on me), but I decided for these (LONG POST WARNING!):

10 - The Leucistic Nilgans (Reblog / See post)

I was counting Egyptian geese when one clearly stood out right away. Nilgans without an eye patch, woah! So, yeah, I gave all of my attention to our friend here, who didn't enjoy that at all. Birds don't like it one bit when you stare at them. They know you're up to no good, but I managed to snap a few shots before this pretty goose (or shelduck) got into the water, and safe from the weird man. The others around me didn't feel threatened - I wasn't looking at them.

9 - The siskin bunch (Reblog / See post)

It was a long winter day when I finally managed to get some decent shots of siskins. These were birds that had always eluded me, first to spot them, and then to photograph them, as they normally forage too high, though usually in flocks. The geography of this lake helped me stay at eye level, and as plenty of them were going from branch to branch looking for food, I got this quite nice shot, even if the light that day was constantly changing and far from the best (and my cheap-ass lens depends a lot on the natural light).

8 - The epitome of a robin (Reblog / See post)

Rotkehlchen was always going to make it in this list, wasn't he? Oh, yeah, I remember that day. I was there to photograph the rare penduline tits that stopped coming to that spot the very same day I decided to go to see them. When my hopes were practically gone, this lovable guy showed up, looking at us the photographers waiting for the birds that never came and probably wondering: What are those idiots doing there? The other two guys kept on their business, while I couldn't resist to get down and picture him. I didn't get any penduline tits, but I got a big reward nonetheless: The epitome of a robin.

7 - Serenity coot (Reblog / See post)

Just a damn coot, right? Nothing special... Well, you see, I have this habit of taking pictures of whoever is there, and this time, Blässhuhn was there. I interrupted my chat with some other guys taking photos that you meet along the way and I decided to just snap this fella, who was actually preening uncontrollably. However, I captured this brief moment where everything seems to make sense, and that gives me tranquillity and inner peace just by looking at it. This should be just some regular photo, but it has something, something that touches me inside.

6 - The 'intersex' mallard (Reblog / See post)

Ever since @namu-the-orca told me about what I had actually photographed, I've been absolutely keen on this little girl. When I saw her again, she had a boyfriend, she was getting harassed by other drakes (because she's actually a female), and I totally had to snatch more pictures of her. In that exact moment, she just happened to open her beak, and I caught a lovely picture I really like. Now, I know she lives there. She's always there, and I pay attention to her, I look at her, and I enjoy knowing she's around, but I don't think I will be able to take a better picture of her than this one.

5 - The making of a wildlife photographer (Reblog / See post)

I don't want to keep raving about this guy, but he was so amazing that I did things I'm not very proud of just to get a snap of him. And I did that because I wanted to tell my little Tumblr world that this bird is amazing. First thing I'm not proud of is getting into a swamp to get close to him, and the second is playing playback (I genuinely had no idea that thing actually works and I was surprised it did) so he would just get furious at me, thinking there was a competitor in the area, and sang from a more visible place instead. The result was really nice, though. It looks like a typical profile photo in a bird catalogue, but I'm no wildlife photographer, and that's stuff some of them do, and I personally would rather avoid doing that kind of stuff. The picture is nice, but I think that what I did was wrong. Birding sadly also means disturbing birds by definition, so we shouldn't do extra stuff. My only comfort is that the guy was already singing non-stop.

4 - Finally goldfinch (Reblog / See post)

You've surely seen better pictures of goldfinches than this one, but it's been a personal struggle for me ever since I started this hobby and I was so happy to finally get a nice photo of one. It looks nice, that's for sure, but no wonder the feeling of accomplishment helped me decide for this one. Goldfinches are common, but in my experience, they're shier than other birds, and for a guy that just walks around with his camera, that's a problem. In this case, I was super lucky, since two goldfinches were having some beef, so they were 'busy', and I also was in the perfect position for this particular shot only because I had just got there (there's a slope to get to the lake and then I'd have been too low).

3 - Jabba the Spatz (Reblog / See post)

I simply thought this was a hilarious shot! Its other photos ended up being way more popular, but I still love this loafing baby sparrow with a dopey facial expression. Also, it was loafing just in the gap of those stones. Also, it was loafing right in front of me and couldn't care less about my presence. Sparrows are usually great models, and they're such cute birds. I always enjoy photographing them.

2 - The not-yet-blue daredevil (Reblog / See post)

This one is very nice. Like, for me, this one and number one are miles ahead of the rest. The story behind this one is simple: I heard baby whinging and there I went. A blue tit chick was chasing mom or dad, while another (this one) seemed to be a bit more independent. After the initial recognition of the situation, I saw that one of them was hanging low and relatively close to me. I lifted my camera as quick as I could, shot, and the moment was gone. I immediately checked the photos out on the display and I seemed to have got only blurry shots. As usual, I cursed my luck, but when I got home, not only this one looked sharp, it looked amazing. The pose, the colours, the whole moment... I realized I had taken a pretty damn good photo, and the difference between having it or not was such a fine line.

1 - Und die Dohle (Reblog / See post)

My current laptop background. It was April 2nd and it was... Snowing! I guess I haven't lived here long enough or it doesn't snow enough for me not to lose my sh*t when I see snow, so as soon as I saw this spring miracle, I grabbed my camera and went out. I wanted to take pictures of birds in the white snow! However, my choice of destination was perhaps questionable, as instead of going to a place with higher altitude, I went to the lowest point in the city... So there was no snow... But it was still snowing!

I like all the photos I took that day with the snowflakes falling from the sky, like this one or this one, but the jackdaw is by far the best. I spotted two jackdaws among all the crows that normally hang around there, and I was determined to finally get a nice photo of one of them. However, they were incredibly shy. No matter how far I was, if I took a step in their direction, they'd feel threatened and fly farther away from me. The snowfall was increasing, it was getting late, but I wanted my jackdaw photo. Eventually, I managed to approach one by making sure a trash can was blocking their view, and it worked! My knees were most likely hurting, but from there, I snapped a few shots, and one came amazingly well.

I love everything. The snow falling, the expression, I mean, the jackdaw looks fierce and majestic, and it has such a dramatic aura. Once I checked that I had indeed taking a good photo, I thumbed-up a crow that I may or may not have given peanuts earlier, and that was waiting next to me for an extra treat. There was no treat, but he got a photo too, since he was there.

If you read the whole thing, I hope you enjoyed knowing a bit about the background of what I do for fun, or at least I hope that it wasn't too unbearable. If you also have a favourite picture from this blog, I'd love to hear from it!

[hitlikehammers]

For @embersonfiredeux, who wanted a little coffee shop AU.

Steddie 🦇 Modern Coffee Shop!AU ☕️

✨🦇✨☕️✨

It was actually almost the reason he lost a shot at the job in the first place.

(‘We almost lost a shot at the job, Dingus,’ as Robin never fails to remind him, and while he appreciates the fact of it—they’re a package deal, ride or die, hell or high water—he still believes he’s in the right.)

Know why he’s in the right?

Because he fucking counted, took over Robin’s not-so-secret mini whiteboard swiped when they left the ice cream place years ago, that last summer of high school, and made fucking notes, and he can say with absolute certainty: 9 out of 10 customers, whether grabbing a seat or hitting the drive-thru, get their coffee orders in to-go cups. Disposable, reusable: doesn’t matter. Either way, they’ve got a goddamn lid on them.

So: you know what’s entirely superfluous?

Latte art.

Because you can’t fucking see latte art under a goddamn lid. Flat out idiocy. And hell, since they’re cogs in the capitalist monstrosity: it’s also inefficient, which is probably the greater sin.

Also, if they’re driving? Not contributing to a distraction which requires dismantling a hot beverage and operating a motor vehicle at the same time is a goddamn public service and Steve should honestly be commended, gold star, at least employee of the month for like three consecutive months on that account.

Definitely should not have almost been told to hang up his apron in the first week when he refused to learn how to make the foam just right, to dribble it onto the espresso in the shape of a wobbly looking leaf.

They’re desperate though, and short staffed with the start of a new semester at the university he and Robin are both slogging through grad programs at, so where Robs makes flawless hearts for all the pretty girls, Steve gets the stink eye from his manager for three whole weeks before it’s largely forgotten.

And honestly, that’s the only thing he sees anyone use the fucking skillset for. Showing off—with varied levels of success—in the interest of flirting.

Steve doesn’t need milk drawings to help him fucking flirt Jesus.

And he still does not need little lactose doodles on his side to let someone know he’s interested, thanks very much; he just…starts to consider the benefits of it, when the hot fucking mess of chains and ink with the wild curls and dimples starts showing up.

First, Steve thinks the guys might be the bane of his existence. He comes in every morning—mid-morning, doesn’t seem like a morning person and orders something different every day, and does it in the most annoying fucking way: a flat black with milk foam; a flat white with extra milk and ‘superfluous levels of foam on top, if you’d be so kind’; a latte, ‘please, but if the amounts of milk and foam and foam could be, like, measured totally equal that’d be swell’.

Steve’s tempted to fuck up his latest request on purpose—‘just a macchiato but can you add some chocolate, maybe, and like a little extra foam?’—when Robin elbows him in the ribs and almost makes him spill what was gonna be a plain fucking americano, not ‘hey, would it be possible to make an americano but like almost no extra water and whipped cream on top?’, no matter how big this douchecanoe stretches his eyes all wide and pleading and shit, but then Robin’s hissing at him:

‘He’s trying to flirt with your dumb ass, open your eyes to the doe ones staring at your every goddamn move!’

Steve stills. Chances a glance out the corner of his eye and: oh.

Oh, douchecanoe is staring. Like, staring staring.

And Steve…feels. A way. About it.

Because douchecanoe is…watching—staring—like he’s trying a little bit, but not too hard, to be surreptitious about the whole affair and it’s overcast, probably like mid-60s outside; no reason for the little flush under the fluorescents save for…what he’s not being particularly surreptitious about.

So Steve changes tactics.

Turns out the inventive ways of ordering that had been driving Steve nuts for weeks were attempts he was too oblivious to notice at creating extra moments for chit-chat. And now that Steve’s paying attention? When they’re slammed and the guy comes in, he orders like a normal person. Quick, painless, sits in the same corner by the window and scribbles for a couple hours.

Huh.

But when it’s dead in the store, the guy makes small talk, and Steve learns he’s in the band who plays Fridays at the bar Steve likes just off-campus, too far for most undergrads and enough of a vibe that Steve’s willing to branch out in his musical repertoire as a trade off—he wishes he’d been paying attention to the metal gig he and Robin always talked over to decompress their weeks, to see if the guitarist’s dimples were visible from the shitty little stage set up every week.

Steve’s definitely going to look this Friday. Start paying attention.

But by day, when he comes here to caffeinate, and before and after too, the guy’s doing his own grad work in composition—Steve sometimes forgets their school has a conservatory—but for all the guy looks a little too into wearing a lot of metal and black everything to fit the mold? He talks about mastering the ‘totality of his field so he can shatter the rules with both expertise and total glee’.

Steve grins and makes an intentional note of the actual name on the order: Eddie.

Eddie’s…endearing. Whip-smart, in weird little ways. Funny. Cute as fuck. More than cute, really. Kinda…like…

Okay, when he comes in early enough, which is rare but: when he comes in when the sun’s behind him? Guy goddamn glows.

Sue Steve for being kinda blindsided now that he’s paying fucking attention.

And also, screw Robin for choke-laughing at him when she catches him taking longer on all his orders the next morning, and comes over to investigate.

‘What are you trying to make?’ she points at the latte he’s trying to draw a little shape on top of.

‘Clouds,’ which isn’t what he was trying for but it’s the closest thing he can think of on the fly that looks like he didn’t fuck it up.

‘They’ll look like better clouds by accident, like, without you trying to help,’ Robin deadpans but doesn’t push; doesn’t have to. She see through the lie, just doesn’t know the specific truth.

Fucking…latte art.

But Steve…Steve likes Eddie. He really likes Eddie, from his smile to his snide humor to the way he talks about the real rock opera he’s writing, gonna send everywhere and anywhere when he’s got his degree in hand as clout, the concentration on his face when he bites his tongue and scribbles notes from his booth by the window.

But then, when he asks about Steve. How he slept, how he’s doing like he cares to hear the answer Steve gives because he always follows up. Compliments Steve’s shirt, or almost seems like he tries to make Steve laugh for how he lights up when he succeeds and…

‘You could just write your number on his cup,’ Robin points out, but Steve scoffs immediately.

‘That’s skeevy as shit.’

‘It absolutely is not.’

‘Trite. Unimaginative.’

‘Ah,’ Robin smirks, a little smug; ‘you really like him.’

Steve feels himself flush and glances at the door; too early for the root cause of her words actually having any effect.

Small mercies.

Because Steve’s…making progress.

But they still get hidden under the lids of the cups.

So what if he writes a little neater, with a little bit of flourish when he labels Eddie’s cup, in the meantime. So what.

Eddie’s the only person who even looks, like he’s enjoys seeing Steve’s handwriting just because, and if Steve’s just projecting on that point?

Fuck you.

It’s end of October, which means he’s only just shy of losing the shred of thematic excuse for the whole thing but honestly? It’s a paper thin excuse.

Much like ‘Oh shit, out of lids, just a second’ when he goes to cap Eddie’s order—when Steve specifically moved them an hour ago—so that the drink is left open-topped while he grabs the strategically-displaced stack of lids and when he returns he’s not sure Eddie will even have thought about looking at the—

‘Is this a bat?’

Eddie’s bent down level to the counter, head tipped and breath held, studying the…shit, probably a total mess of an attempt at a shape that was maybe a bat, probably more like a vaguely grinning fanged blob, definitely wanted to be a bat though, and Steve can feel his cheeks heating up before Eddie’s eyes flick away from the coffee cup for first time—

To lock onto Steve’s.

‘It tried to be,’ Steve sighs, accepting failure at both the art—which is neither all that important or at all surprising, he’s shit at art; it’s the failure at trying to, who knows, maybe woo, the pretty nerdy boy who makes his pulse tick up just walking through the door? That part’s the failure he’s gonna mourn.

‘But y’know. Like your,’ and Steve gestures at Eddie’s ink peeking from his shirt sleeves, because that was what initially sparked the idea, then he clocks his betrayer-mouth and tries to save the confession, knowing it’s useless: ‘and then it’s October so—‘ he starts to shrug, to hide his hands in his apron pocket and stare meaningfully at the tile floor, probably needs mopping, but then—

‘It’s amazing,’ Eddie says, a little breathless, and Steve looks up immediately to catch the awe in his tiny grin, the kind Steve’s never seen on him before, so soft it makes Steve’s pulse jump a little into the hug of his collar

‘I didn’t know you could do that. Have you been putting them under,’ Eddie’s face turns mildly horrified as he gestures to the cup, and the lid in Steve’s hand—which is honestly kinda adorable; ‘all this time and I missed it?’

‘God no,’ Steve snorts, reassures; ‘I actually almost lost my job because I thought it was dumb to put all the work in just to cover it up.’

And Eddie’s grin comes back, with an added bite of his top teeth against his bottom lip, and a length of his curls dragged to try—and fail—to hide it.

‘I’m really glad you didn’t lose your job,’ he says quietly, and Steve’s chest feels warmer than a fresh fucking shot of espresso.

Which reminds him:

‘It’s gonna get cold,’ Steve holds out the lid and nods at the slowly-melting bat-blob, and Eddie takes it but doesn’t put it on, still chewing at his bottom lip before he raises those big dark eyes Steve’s way again and confesses, sounding a little lost, maybe just shy of heartbroken:

‘I don’t wanna ruin it.’

And Steve’s heart doesn’t break for any of it; fucking swells and soars and hopes because this man is…he’s…

Steve grabs the lid back, lets his fingers brush with intent against Eddie’s and tells himself he knows he reads the almost inaudible—but only almost—gasp from Eddie at the contact right before he gets to work on the same drink with a normal, boring non-flourish on the top, though he does add the caramel sprinkles he knows Eddie likes even if they don’t match the standard recipe, before popping the lid on this cup and sliding it next to the now-unrecognizable bat.

‘On the house,’ Steve says softly, and he thinks it might be too much to wink but Eddie lights up like a Christmas tree and so he gives it a shot, and then Eddie’s just looks giddy as he tries to balance the two cups on his way to his normal seat.

Steve’s gonna fucking write his number on the cup tomorrow.

(In the end, though: he doesn’t get a chance.

He walks in, second shift, and he’s barely apron’d up before Robin, who opened hours ago, slides him a large to-go cup with a pointed ‘Might want to open the lid, it got too hot’ before slipping away.

And Steve’s not a moron, so he opens the lid.

It’s a pile of foam and maybe whipped cream with a cocoa-and-possibly-chocolate-sprinkle heart drawn on top, and Steve’s almost too charmed by it to notice what else is waiting under the lid.

But like, under the lid, in the tiniest possible letters:

‘I had to make a stencil out of a postcard to try and do this at home so I’m sorry if this is the actual worst. But I’d really like to take you out for something you don’t make for yourself all day. I have some ideas, but I’d meet you wherever. Text me, or even call—I swear I’d make a point to answer if it’s you.’

And the biggest thing written, and traced over to be BOLD, is a phone number.

But then, more teeny tiny words:

‘Also: please DO NOT drink this—I just wanted it to look decent, not taste good. Plus the main flavor profile might be sharpie by now, anyway.’

And Steve snorts to himself, sniffs the drink and oh, yeah. Yeah, that’s an aroma of permanent-marker, for sure.

‘Though the lid is clean, I didn’t reuse an old one,’ the note goes on: ‘though maybe, if you text (or call!), we’ll end the evening where swapping spit’s kind of the point ~’

There’s a little heart that barely fits but is as recognizable as the one on the undrinkable-drink and Steve barely feel Robin’s hand push his shoulder toward the back corner by the window where a certain curly-haired composer’s leg is bouncing fast enough to hear against the floor on approach, Reeboks squeaking against the tile; where a man’s sitting who Steve would really like to close the week out—or even the day, if he’s real lucky—as being able to just call ‘boyfriend’, instead of anything else.

✨🦇✨☕️✨

Originally from Twitter, where you can totally ask for a fic-me-up when you’re having A DAY, too;

Also on Ao3.

[towritecomicsonherarms]

How would you rate the fan voted outcomes to Marvel vs DC miniseries?

I answered this one many many moons ago (over 5 years ago). Haven't read this since then but i cannot see any of my opinions changing.

Copy and pasting what i put then.

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

I assume you mean the crossover comic from 1996

well

pasted from wiki

There were eleven battles fought between the two universes:

Aquaman (DC) vs. Namor (Marvel). Aquaman wins by summoning a whale to leap out of the water and land on Namor.  Since Namor is pinned and unable to move, he is declared the loser.

Elektra (Marvel) vs. Catwoman (DC). Elektra won by cutting off Catwoman’s whip as she hung from a girder on a building under construction, but Catwoman survived by falling into a dumpster filled with sand.

Flash (DC) vs. Quicksilver (Marvel). The Flash wins using superior speed.

Robin (DC) vs. Jubilee (Marvel). Robin won by using his cape as a decoy and then tying up Jubilee.

Silver Surfer (Marvel) vs. Green Lantern (DC). Silver Surfer won when both collided with each other and released a huge explosion which knocked out Green Lantern but left Silver Surfer unfazed.

Thor (Marvel) vs. Captain Marvel (DC). Thor won when Captain Marvel was forced to change back to his alter ego Billy. Billy tried to change back, but Thor used Mjolnir to intercept the lightning-bolt that would have transformed him back to normal, the resulting impact knocking Billy out and sending Thor’s hammer flying off.

Superman (DC) vs. Hulk (Marvel). After exchanging punches and a burst of heat-vision, Superman wins eventually.

Spider-Man (Marvel) vs. Superboy (DC). With the advantage of his spider-sense, Spider-Man wins by tying up Superboy with impact webbing and electrocuting him with high voltage.

Batman (DC) vs. Captain America (Marvel). The match ends in uncertainty—though both are evenly matched after hours of combat, a sudden flushing of the sewer knocks Cap off balance as Batman manages to strike him with a Batarang. Batman rescues Cap from certain death via drowning, but Cap’s unconsciousness from nearly drowning causes him to lose.

Wolverine (Marvel) vs. Lobo (DC). Wolverine beats Lobo in a brutal barfight which was largely off panel.

Storm (Marvel) vs. Wonder Woman (DC). After Diana drops Thor’s hammer in order to allow the fight to happen as it was intended, Storm wins the battle after repeatedly hitting Diana with her lightning after a brief melee encounter.

1 - Yeah. Why not. Both very evenly matched

2 - Why wasn’t Elektra fighting someone.. better? Or they should have had Black Cat fight Catwoman.

3 - This is 100% right.

4 - Most people could beat Jubilee. This is the correct result.

5 - Silver Surfer could trash the entire lantern corps by himself. Correct.

6 - This is the correct result but i would have also accepted the best Captain Marvel winning as it is plausible.

7  -Superman whipping Hulk silly is the 100% correct result.

8 - I believe this one was a fan vote. My boy Spidey should have lost this one. Easily.

9 - Batman is a superior fighter to Cap. Cap is a superior human to Batman. He can go beyond what a human is capable of. Should have been Cap.

10 - This was a fan vote. Lobo would eat Wolverine. That is not a typo.

11 - Another ridiculous fan vote. A bolt of lightning beats Wonder Woman. 100% pure nonsense. I love Storm. She’s so underrated and powerful but.. beating Wonder Woman with some lightning? Nope.

So in conclusion.

[angelsanarchy]

Alone Together - Eddie/OC One-Shot Series PRT 25

Prt 1 - Prt 2 - Prt 3 - Prt 4 - Prt 5 - Prt 6 - Prt 7 - Prt 8 - Prt 9 - Prt 10 - Prt 11 - Prt 12 - Prt 13 - Prt 14 - Prt 15 - Prt 16 - Prt 17 - Prt 18 - Prt 19 - Prt 20 - Prt 21 - Prt 22 - Prt 23 - Prt 24 -

taglist:

@thetenthdoctorscompanion @siriuslymooned @samwilsonnsnns @kathaaaaaaa

Eddie walked into the trailer, slamming the door behind himself and tossing a grease covered rag on the table with frustration. Wayne watched him carefully as he plopped down on the couch abruptly, muttering to himself through gritted teeth.

"So I take it the van is giving you trouble." Wayne was kicked back with the newspaper in his lap.

"I just can't get my hands to do what they need to do in this weather. It's like they cramp up from the cold and its pissing me off. How the hell am I supposed to have it up and running before Dani gets back?" Eddie rubbed his dirty hands through his hair and Wayne knew why he was so upset.

"Has she called?" He asked curiously knowing she hadn't called him since the beginning of her vacation.

"She apparently called Robin who told Steve who told Dustin who told the group that she would be home midday tomorrow but no she hasn't called again." Eddie picked at his nails and Wayne put the paper down.

"I thought you would be a bit more excited to see her considering you've been sulking about her being gone since she pulled out of here." Wayne watched Eddie roll his eyes knowing he wouldn't deny it.

"Yeah but she's been hanging out with her mom who hates me and Hawkins. Whose to say she doesn't come back to ditch me for someone better, who actually has a future beyond this town?" Eddie had never talked like this outloud to his uncle. Mostly because he knew how Wayne felt about him and hated hearing him limit himself to his reputation and last name.

"From what I picked up on at Thanksgiving, I don't see Dani's mother having any real influence over her decision making, let alone who she chooses to spend time with. Why would you worry about that now?" Wayne pressed.

"Apparently her mom has been shitting on the Munson name. Giving her all this history about my old man and how its in my genes to end up stuck in Hawkins locked up or working at a gas station." Wayne hated that woman. He knew how uppity she had always been but that never stopped her from buying drugs off his brother when they were younger. She often forgets that she isn't better than anyone just because she's seen the outside of Hawkins.

"What if she realizes I'm a waste of space? She deserves so much better than me, Unc." Eddie sounded so desperate, it broke Wayne's heart.

"Son, I can assure you that no one looks at you less like a waste of space than that girl. Dani is a strong minded, intelligent girl who thinks for herself and knows what she wants. Fighting for your life at a young age will do that to you." Wayne explained.

"Exactly! She's been through hell and for some reason she wants to be friends with me." Wayne laughed making Eddie frown.

"Oh boy. That girl is head over heels for you, Eddie. Don't kid yourself into thinking she just wants to be friends with you. I know you're smarter than that." Eddie blushed looking down at his dirty hands.

"I know how you feel about Dani but I also know that you've never been in love before so I can tell how god damn terrified you are." Wayne moved to sit next to Eddie.

"I don't have anything to give her, Wayne. Look at me. I'm a third year senior with no college aspirations and a part time job. I care enough about her to know that I'm not what she should want." Eddie looked at his uncle pitifully and he clapped a hand on his back.

"I want you to say it out loud Son. I want you to admit to yourself how you feel and know that the only person that has to think you're good enough for her...is her." Eddie nodded his head letting out a breath.

"She makes me want to be better, I just don't even know where to start with being a guy who could possibly deserve her." Wayne smiled at him. Watching Eddie grow up has been one of his greatest joys and all he can hope is that he continues to follow a path that will prop him up and not bring him down. That's what his mother would have wanted.

"How about you stop wasting time skirting around what people think of you and actually tell her how you feel. That would be a good start in my opinion." Wayne stood up, giving one last squeeze to Eddie's shoulder before walking back to his recliner.

"I would probably take a shower as well...you know, clean the grease from under your fingernails." Wayne teased making Eddie roll his eyes.

"I'll be sure to do all my primping before she touches down in Hawkins. Thanks Uncle Wayne." Eddie started back towards his bedroom to grab a clean change of clothes for a shower. Wayne tried to remember what it felt like to be in love at that age but it only made him think of Eddie's mother. He likes to think that things would have been so different if she would have ended up with him instead of his brother but it always made him feel somber. He only hoped that Eddie and Dani would have a much happier ending.