#he was the sweetest little 7 month old and he just could not contain himself

[andromedous]

selfies i forgot to post ft. THE BEST BOY I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED

[blouisparadise]

Upon request, we’ve added to our friends to lovers rec list. You can find part one here and there will also be a part three (and possibly a part four!) up eventually, which will be linked here when it’s been posted. We hope you enjoy these fics! Happy reading.

1) Roses In The Rain | Mature | 5267 words

“Don’t- I know what you’re going to ask, and I… Harry, I can’t,” he said, his voice cracking. “Please. You know that I can’t.”

Louis had his six siblings and his old house with its falling-apart porch to take care of. This town was where people still approached him, 8 years after high school graduation, to tell him that they loved him as Danny in Grease. This town was where he had his pick of suitors, where he had his first kiss, where he took his first steps, where his mama lived, died, and was buried, and he couldn’t leave just to follow some man that he loved.

Harry, for now, seemed to understand that.

“Okay, baby,” Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Okay.”

2) Candy In Your Mouth (I Know You Love Me) | Explicit | 6937 words

Things have shifted since last Christmas.

3) Glimpse Of The Silhouettes | Explicit | 7181 words

Harry isn't sure what the rules are for this. It's hard to believe that there are any, that's there's a handbook just waiting for him to buy: why is my best mate getting hard in my lap when I touch his arse?

4) Woke Up Feeling Knotty | Explicit | 7903 words

Beta Louis has a kink for knotting and the secret aesthetic porn blog he runs about it is more than proof.  When he accidentally finds out his alpha best friend Harry is one of his biggest fans, he knows he has to come clean after everything that has already happened between them.  Harry just might be willing to help him out anyway.

5) A Love Reaction | Explicit | 9968 words

It's never been a thing. Not until now.

6) Got It Right Such A Long Time Ago | Explicit | 9699 words

Four months into One Direction's hiatus, Louis comes to stay with Harry after a bad breakup.

7) (You're Gonna See Me In A) New Light | Mature | 13631 words

A fake relationship AU where everyone knows it's real but Louis.

8) As A Memento From Me | Explicit | 15817 words

Five lives in which Harry and Louis didn’t end up together, and one in which they did.

9) I Put A Spell On You | Explicit | 17525

A BBC/Secret Santa mashup featuring Captain Niall, our intrepid weatherman/amateur matchmaker, rather clueless sports reporter Liam, charming political analyst Zayn, and cheeky entertainment reporter Louis. Harry is the new fashion correspondent who prefers to dress like a flamingo. And pining. There’s a lot of pining.

10) Oblivious | Explicit | 19095 words

Where Louis gets a little crush on Luke and for some reason Harry starts acting weird.

11) Break Open The Sky | Explicit | 20372 words

Werewolf AU. Harry might be a werewolf, but he still wants to experience Uni like everyone else. Turns out he learns a lot.

12) Runnin’ Like You Did | Explicit | 20061 words

The college AU where Louis knows how to hold a grudge and is definitely not in love with Harry Styles.

13) UN(RE)SOLVED. | Explicit | 20873 words

The ghoul boys are back, but this time around there are some unresolved feelings involved. Harry is a skeptic, Louis is not. Watch them go on their ongoing investigation into the question: are ghosts real?

14) Hats Off To My Distant Hope | Explicit | 20990 words

Harry is in White Eskimo. Louis is in London.

15) The Way The Storms Blow | Explicit | 20649 words

Louis doesn’t have a habit of thinking about Harry’s dick.

That would be weird, seeing as they’re best mates, and they share a flat, and they’ve spent holidays at each other’s family homes. Their friendship hasn’t ever risen to a point where Louis should want to see his mate’s dick, and he’s happy to keep it that way.

Except, all that Louis can think about is exactly that. The size of it. The shape. The amount of people it’s been in.

Maybe it’s the tequila talking, or the fact that Louis’ just recently walked in to an eyeful of Harry taking turns on some slags that he’s never seen before, but. Louis’ mind can’t stop obsessing over the idea.

16) Love Like Wildfire | Explicit | 21774 words

Louis was an Omega and a Prefect. Harry was an Alpha and a little rascal. They were mates, drawn to each other since they first met in the Hogwarts Express. They worked well like that, or at least they tried, which only made their relationship way more interesting.

17) Indestructible | Explicit | 24423 words

“Hi,” Harry murmurs, and Louis hiccups out a sob.

“Hi,” he manages, still clutching onto Harry’s shoulders. Harry’s fingers drift across Louis’ cheeks, and there’s something off about Harry’s expression, but Louis can’t figure out what it is.

“I’m okay,” Harry says, and Louis is going to say something to that, even if he doesn’t know what, except Harry’s kissing him.

Louis freezes.

18) A Whole New World | Not Rated | 24967 words

Louis has moved into his new apartment to start his new job as a teacher. Things would be great. If only his arsehole neighbour didn't wake him up every morning by playing piano.

19) Another Day Gettin’ Into Trouble | Explicit | 25619 words

Harry’s drunk when the idea occurs to him. He’s also a pop star, so sometimes his drunk ideas turn into actual things instead of just ideas. The clone-a-willy kit is one of them.

In Harry’s defense, when he first thinks about it his intention is just to buy the kit and give it to Louis to make his own dildo with, because that’s what he wants anyway, right? To have a penis filling him up?

Then he realizes that it would be weird if Louis made a copy of his own dick to fuck himself with. It’d be super weird. Louis fucking himself? That’s a weird idea. Harry’s pretty sure Louis wouldn’t like that.

Clearly the only solution here is to use his own dick for the mold.

20) Brooklyn Saw Me | Explicit | 28537 words

In the cold and unforgiving city of New York, Louis doesn't have a home and Harry wants to give him one. But as their heartstrings become increasingly intertwined, and the snow continues to fall, home is getting harder and harder to find.

21) Rivers ‘Til I Reach You | Explicit | 29315 words

AU. Louis studies astronomy; Harry studies Louis. They spend their summers on the water and it shouldn't be complicated (spoiler: it is).

22) If Ignorance Be Bliss | Mature | 30429 words

Uni AU: Harry is too experienced, and Louis just wants to get to experience him.

23) Blind From This Sweet, Sweet Craving | Explicit | 31170 words

"So, I guess we'll go?" Louis asks later, when Harry has calmed down and eaten his weight in Chinese food. He plays with this chopsticks, spearing another piece of chicken and pops it in his mouth. "I mean, I wouldn't mind. We could make it an adventure."

Harry observes him, watches him seated across from him on their old living room carpet, with a container of food on his lap. He's fidgeting, avoiding meeting Harry's gaze–he probably knows that Harry's mad at him for ruining the one chance they had to get out of this situation. And he's not wrong, Harry is definitely very mad. Harry wants to strangle him and castrate him and smack him upside the head.

But he's also Harry's best friend, and despite everything, despite all the fuck-ups and the plot twists and everything just not playing out the way it should, he'd still rather be stuck in this situation with Louis than any of the other boys. He's got Harry's back, and in a weird, abstract way, he knows they'll be able to get out of this situation, together.

Harry sighs. "We're going," he says resignedly, his shoulders slumping.

Oh well. There are definitely worse ways to spend the weekend than pretending to be engaged to his best friend.

24) Welcome Back From The Friend Zone | Mature | 32354 words

The one where an idea to create a fake wedding with the sole intent to receive gifts from billionaires took a turn no one, but also everyone, saw coming.

25) The List | Mature | 32074 words

'In the weeks that follow, Harry opens his old journal more than he has in the past two years each time he remembers Venice or thinks about Louis. He always flips to the same random page in the middle of the book, marked by the picture of himself that Louis sent him a few days after they got home. There’s a message on the back that says, ‘Spontaneous looks good on you! See you soon,’ and it makes Harry’s chest warm each time he reads it. He wedges their list out from between the worn pages, and it feels silly staring down at a folded up piece of paper with a strange sense of nostalgia for experiences they’ve yet to have; for places they’ve never even been.'

26) Mark My Word (We Gon’ Be Alright) | Explicit | 35524 words

An A/B/O AU featuring an oblivious Harry as the pack leader, a pining Louis as his second-in-command, and an entourage of friends and family who are a little too good at keeping their mouths shut.

27) The Sun Will Rise With My Name On Your Lips | Explicit | 37927 words

When Eleanor breaks up with Louis he finds it hard to keep pretending that Harry isn’t what he’s wanted since the day he first met him.

28) Runner On Third | Explicit | 39643 words

Note: The sequel to this fic is not BL.

The AU where Louis and Harry were best friends growing up, but lost touch after Harry moved away. Ten years later, Harry has moved back to town, but he and Louis don't pick up where they left off.

29) My Sweetest Downfall | Mature | 42048 words

Louis is a retired guardian angel. After the death of his last charge, he became jaded. Humans die—what use is prolonging the inevitable?

He's more than happy to forget about humanity altogether until one day, when Louis is pulled from his desk job for a new assignment: protect One Direction's Harry Styles. It doesn't help that there's something about Harry that Louis can't resist, and it's making him question everything he's ever known. Humans are strictly off limits, and breaking that rule means risking everything, but Harry just might be worth it.

This is a story about forgiveness and discovery, featuring an angel who wants to be a little more human and a human who is so much more than he seems.

30) For the Sake of Propriety | Mature | 52360 words

Louis Tomlinson is the caretaker of an estate that is not truly his, and when his Uncle calls upon him to take it back, Louis knows he will soon be out on the streets with four overly zealous sisters to care for.  His only solution: wed the eldest two off and pray for the best.  When an even better solution unexpectedly presents itself in the form of the charming Mr. Styles, Louis is faced with a difficult choice.  But as with all things in the regency era, reputation very well may threaten to outweigh the fleeting matters of his heart.

31) The Bachelor | Explicit | 53953 words

The one where Harry dates six other guys and still falls in love with Louis Tomlinson.

32) We’ve Got the World in Our Hands | Explicit | 54964 words

Note: This fic has been locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

A mutants/superpowers AU. Louis and his friends attend the Cowell Institute for General Education and Mutant Training in London; when Louis meets Harry, the newest student at the Cowell Institute, he immediately recruits Harry to help play matchmaker for his friend Zayn. Harry and Louis are so caught up in meddling in Zayn's love life, though, that they don't notice that their own friendship is progressing into something more. Meanwhile, an ominous threat up north grows slowly until suddenly, no mutant - or human - is safe.

33) Waiting For The Tides To Meet | Explicit | 49873 words

Soulmate AU. Everyone is born with heterochromia — one eye is their own eye colour, while the other is the colour of their soulmate's. It's only when they meet their soulmate for the first time that their own eyes match properly. After a hazy night at a frat party, Louis wakes up to blue eyes and the shocking realization that he had met his soulmate, without any sober recollection. Seven years pass where Louis comes to terms with the fact that he'll never know who his soulmate is. Then one fated summer, a beautiful green-eyed photographer arrives at Louis' workplace, with promises of endless laughter and a familiar feeling in Louis' heart.

34) Since I’ve Found You | Mature | 74005 words

Louis woke up on the morning he was meant to volunteer at the Feed the Homeless program at St. Mary's church hoping for an opportunity to give back a little to a city that has given him everything he could ever want. Little did he know, there was one more great thing waiting there for him; a boy with radiant green eyes in a weathered jacket and a beat-up backpack slung over his shoulders.

35) Saving Symphony Hall | Mature | 124766 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic.

“I think I have an idea,” Louis said. Slowly, and reluctantly, but with a growing sense of the inevitable. “God damnit, I think I have a really good idea.”

“Oh christ, that's the problem-solving face,” Babs said. “Last time we saw that face, he sold a company.”

“Wait, what?” Zayn asked.

“Right place, right time,” Louis said. “Also, fuck my life,”

“What?” Zayn repeated. Niall patted his hand.

“I usually just roll with whatever Louis is about to do,” he said. “It’s better for us all.”

“That’s the attitude,” said Louis, “I’ll tell you tomorrow. Tonight, I need to do some research. Zayn, give me your number. I’m gonna save our symphony.”

36) Falling Into You | Mature | 143517 words

In the grand scheme of adolescence and boyhood, Harry was still working himself out, so far with little luck. But four things he could say for certain: 1) he'd been at the top of his class all through primary and secondary school, 2) he was the shittiest alpha to ever walk the earth, 3) Liam Payne never let him forget it, and 4) he’d been in love with this boy, Louis Tomlinson, ever since he was fifteen years old.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[thecozywhaleshark]

Pocket Monsta X - Origin Stories

A/n: @zerotexas1975 asked me “why do they (the pockets) call reader mom? how did they meet? did they find reader and decide to stay? are they born like Tinkerbelle?” and I thought, you know that is an adorable question that I hadn’t really thought about. So without further ado, how your favorite Pockets came to be with their moms:

Sometimes, little bits of luck come into your life when you least expect it. Sometimes that comes in the form of an unexpected pay raise, or not getting a parking ticket when you know you’ve stayed in a spot too long…and sometimes, it’s a little figure about the size of a mouse, who crawls into your lap or your house or shows up at your workplace, and decides to stay.

Having a pocket is a sign of good luck, a sign that they decided you were a good person, or maybe you needed a friend. They tend to show up when you need them, and once you have them, they’ll forever stay. Nobody knows for sure where they come from, but they seem to be drawn by the need to have a mother-like figure in their lives, someone who will take care of them as long as they can, who will put them in their pocket and love them unconditionally. Unfortunately, sometimes pockets choose wrong, and their moms will kick them out, no longer wanting them, no longer loving them, and the pockets have to find a new home. That is their greatest fear.

So, if by any chance, a pocket decides to come your way, give them some snacks and ask about their day, if they decide they like you, they will crawl into your pocket and stay.

Shownu:

When you opened your cupboard one day to get a snack, you were surprised to find a small figure sitting in there eating saltines. 

As soon as he saw you, he immediately dropped the cracker he was holding and hid behind the cinnamon container, shaking in fear. Figuring the little pocket was just hungry, you try to coax him out, offering him the rest of his cracker. He gingerly takes it, and when you sooth him that it’s alright and you’re not mad, he steps out from behind his hiding spot and stands in front of you, shuffling his feet.

He is immediately apologetic, blurting out as fast as he can how sorry he is and how he is normally a good boy, he promises, he just got so hungry, and he hasn’t eaten in days and when you left your door open getting groceries he couldn’t help himself and he hoped you wouldn’t miss a few crackers and he can do chores or something to pay you back and-

You shush him gently and hold out your hand, offering to make him an actual meal. He’s so shy and fidgets while you cook for him and ask him questions about his story. When you give him his meal he’s so polite and cute and he wants to help you clean up. When he asks if you could please place him on the floor so he can leave and get out your hair you refuse, telling him he doesn’t need to leave if he doesn’t want to. You find it sweet that he likes your food and you like his company and offer him a home.

He gives you the biggest scrunched eye smile and nods so eagerly as you pick him up and bring him to your room to start preparing him a little bed. 

Wonho:

When you walked into the bakery you work at, you found the display counter a complete mess. There were crumbs everywhere, half-eaten goods, and tiny little footprints across the counter in powdered sugar. In the middle of the display case, sleeping inside a smushed thumbprint cookie and sucking on his fingers, was a little pocket.

When you gently nudged him awake he looked at you with big glassy eyes and immediately started crying. You didn’t know what to do, so you just picked him up and gave him a hug, making soft shushing sounds while running the tips of your fingers over his back until he sniffled and hiccuped. He laid against your chest, clinging to your shirt, as he told you what had happened to him.

His old mom had distracted him with the sweets of the bakery and then left him while he had his nose pressed up against the display glass. He had hidden under the counter's edge on the floor, watching the feet of everyone who entered and exited the rest of the day, looking for his mom's bright pink stilettos. When they never came back, the owner closed up shop to go on a weekend vacation and pocket Wonho was stuck in the empty shop all by himself.  

All weekend he had wondered the store, eating the sweets from the display case and crying. 

Your heart went out to him and you asked if he wanted to stay in your apron pocket while you worked your shift, and he nodded. He slept most of the day, tired out from a weekend of wandering and crying, but when he was awake, he was the sweetest little thing. As he warmed up to you he talked a lot more, and the first time you heard him giggle you felt yourself melt. 

You both got attached to each other quickly and when you asked him if he wanted to go home with you he hugged you so fiercely and nodded against your chest.

Kihyun:

You always wondered why your desk was always so well organized every morning, even when you were sure you had left it a mess the day before. It always left you puzzled and you wondered if maybe it was a kind janitor or something, but you weren’t sure. 

One day, you came into work an hour early and got your answer. Rolling pencils back into the drawer and straightening sticky notes into rows was a pocket. 

“Um, hello,” you state, sliding your chair back from your desk and sitting down. 

“You know, you’re really messy. You have the messiest desk in the office. I should know, I’m here all the time” was the reply you got back. He didn’t even look at you, just busy with his task. 

“Do you live here?” you ask, helping him clean the trash from your desk, holding up the wastebasket as he pushed a piece of crumpled paper in. 

“With my mom. But she hasn’t been in lately. I think she left me here on accident, but she’ll be back...” he speaks with confidence, but his voice shakes a little at the end. 

With some gentle nudging, you find out his mom was the old secretary who quit before you were hired, placing Kihyun alone in the workplace for over 7 months. 

You talk to him throughout your workday and he decides he really likes you. 

You offer to take him home and be his new mom and he’s thrilled, but first, he wants you to take him to the supply closet. He gets upset when it’s left unorganized, and besides, he’s left his favorite bowtie in there. 

Hyungwon:

Stopping by after work one day, you walked into a little corner flower shop and picked up a little bouquet of sunflowers and Baby's breath. 

What you were not expecting was the little figure that tumbled out when you unwrapped the paper wrapping on your kitchen counter. 

A sleepy pocket looked up at you and yawned big, stretching out his arms and looking around him, blinking slow. 

“Momma?” he asks, holding up his arms and you pick him up carefully and put him in your pocket, where he immediately falls back asleep.

That’s just how it be sometimes.

Minhyuk:

Pocket Minhyuk wandered the library for fun, he had always been on his own and he liked to listen wistfully to the parents and volunteers as they read children books, hoping that one day he would have a mother of his own to read him stories. 

One day, when you were reading to a group of kids, doing volunteer work, he decided that he really liked your voice and he thought you were so pretty. He clambered down the shelf he had been listening from and made his way across the carpet to where you sat and sat right down at your feet, looking up at you in awe with the biggest smile on his face. 

When you finished the book, he tugged on your pant leg and asked you to read him more. You picked him up and put him on your lap with a smile and an “of course!”

He excitedly pointed at all the pictures and made all the appropriate animal sounds, and you loved the way he giggled whenever he got to flip the page, standing up to run over and drag it before plopping back down on your lap and leaning against your stomach. 

When you ask where his mom was, he turns around and cuddles up to you, hugging you with his arms spread as big as he can across your stomach and states, “right here.”

Jooheon:

You were busy loading your car with the props you had used for your presentation after work and were trying to figure out how to fit them all in, that you didn’t notice when a small figure climbed into your car and scrambled to hide under the seats. 

You slammed the door, hopped into the driver's seat and turned on the radio to listen to some nice classical on your way home.

You were tapping your fingers against your steering wheel to the music and were about halfway home when he climbed over the center console and tumbled onto the passenger seat, complaining,

“Can we please listen to the rock station?!”

You screamed, swerved through the lanes and slid your car to a halt on the side of the road.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, lady, lady!” he screamed, clutching at the cracks in the leather of your seats. “What are you trying to do, kill me?!” 

“WHAT THE F - WHO ARE YOU?!” you yelled, clutching at your steering wheel and looking at him panicked. 

He dusted off his little leather jacket and held out his hand. 

“I’m Jooheon. But you can call me Joo. Or honey. Or Joohoney. I like that one.” He gives you a big dimpled smile. 

You kept staring in shock and he sighs, putting his hand down. He begins to pace the seat and tells you that he thinks you’re cool and you have fun cardboard thingies and he thinks it would be fun to live with you if you don’t mind? 

He looks are you with such big eyes and gives you another charming dimpled smile and you can’t help but sigh and start the car. 

“Buckle up.”

You have a pocket Joo now.

I.M: 

When you woke up one morning and stumbled into your living room, you noticed a small figure curled up on the floor next to your heating vent. 

It had been a cold night, and you weren’t surprised to see the window cracked and find that the small figure was a pocket boy, doing his best to keep warm. You closed the window and grabbed the blanket from your couch, placing it over him. In his slumber, he pulls it close around him and you smile, walking away to let him sleep while you made your morning coffee. 

You’re sitting at your kitchen counter when you see him stumble into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

“Good morning little man, would you like some breakfast?” you smile at him over your mug and he nods, yawning into his hand. 

You watch him as he gnaws at the end of a banana until he’s stuffed full and then he staggers over to you sleepily and pulls on your fingers so he can sit in your palm. 

He doesn’t say much that first day, but you have an understanding. He lives with you now. You have become a pocket mother. 

[cristinablackthornkingson]

Shadowhunters Short Story #33 Part 2. Sizzy baby #2.

CW: Secondary Infertility.

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It is a warm spring day in May of 2014, two years after Isabelle and Simon Lovelace welcomed their first child, a little boy named George Robert. The last two years have been some of the best for the young couple, so much so that when George was a year old they decided to try for another baby. However after trying for over 6 months with no results they decided to seek help and find out what was going on.

 Fertility issues were not common among Shadowhunters due to their angel blood, so even The Silent Brothers were not well versed in the area, so Isabelle and Simon decided to go to a mundane doctor for help, which was no longer against the law.

Catarina was able to hide their angel blood from the doctors, as she had previously done for Diana. 

After some tests the mundane doctor gave them the bad news that it was unlikely they would conceive on their own again, due to Isabelle’s egg quality having become quiet poor, there was no reason or explanation for this, it just happened. The doctor suggested the try something called IVF, which Simon knew a little about and Isabelle knew nothing about apart from the fact that that was how Helen and Aline’s baby daughter Ivy had been conceived a year ago.

After much discussion and heartache, Isabelle and Simon agreed to try 2 rounds of IVF, even though it is an extremely expensive treatment that may not even work.

Right now they are waiting on the results from the first round, which happened about two weeks ago, it is a nerve wracking time but Isabelle and Simon are doing their best to stick to normalcy for George’s sake. 

Currently they are in the library of The New York Institute where Clary and Jace’s baby shower is taking place. Clary is 6 months pregnant with her and Jace’s first baby, a girl they are going to name Lucy, after Luke. As much as Isabelle is happy for her brother and best friend, she can’t help but feel it’s terribly unfair that they could so easily have a baby and she couldn’t, not anymore. 

“Georgie don’t you wanna go play with your cousins?” Isabelle softly asks her son, who is clinging to her leg and hasn’t left her side since they arrived. These last few weeks he has been extremely clingy toward Isabelle, more so than ever before. 

George vigorously shakes his head causing his thick black hair to fall into his big blue eyes. 

A few minutes later, Alec has managed to persuade his nephew to come play with Max and Rafe for a bit. leaving Isabelle free to talk to her mother without George constantly pulling at the hem of her dress. 

“Is George alright Isabelle? He seems very reluctant to leave you.” Maryse asks her daughter in a tone of concern, glancing over at her youngest grandson and then back to her daughter. 

Isabelle sighs and rakes a hand through her long dark hair.

“I don’t think he’s sick or anything, he’s just been so clingy toward me these last few weeks, he’s never been like this before, not even when he was a newborn.” 

“You know your baby being clingy toward you is sometimes a sign that you could be pregnant.” Maryse tells her daughter in a tone of excitement. Isabelle’s eyes widen in disbelief. 

“Really?” She asks in a shocked tone. 

“Yes, that’s how I knew I was pregnant with you, you and Alec were planned babies and about a month after we started trying for you, Alec became extremely clingy toward me, far more than usual. I would bring him over to Jocelyn’s to play with Jonathon and normally he would happily go to Jocelyn, but that month he just refused to leave me, a few days later I found out I was pregnant with you.” Maryse explains, sending Isabelle’s heart racing. 

“I’ve had no other symptoms though, with George I felt like I had all symptoms under the sun.” Isabelle quietly says, trying desperately not to get her hopes up.

“Yes but you didn’t find out with him until you were 3 months, if you are pregnant it would be too early to feel anything, I found out very early on with Max, it was such a surprise because not only was he not planned, I had felt absolutely no symptoms whereas I felt awful with you and Alec.” Maryse says. 7 years on from his death, The Lightwoods were able to speak about and think about Max without feeling that awful raw grief and agony, little Max makes everything so much easier too, he is the sweetest, happiest little boy and everyone knows Max would have adored him and would be honored to share a name with him.

Before Isabelle can reply, Jace appears at her side, full of excitement and joy about his baby.

“Hey Iz, Clary wants to talk to you now that you don’t have a baby hanging off your leg.” Jace says in amused tone, glancing over at George who is now being fussed over by Jem. 

Jace leads his sister to a quiet corner of the room where Clary is sitting on a small black sofa talking to Emma.

“Emma, is it okay if I talk to Izzy in private for a minute?” Clary asks, not wanting to offend Emma but also wanting this moment to be between her and Isabelle only. 

“Of course, I think Mark needs some help keeping the twins in one place anyway.” Emma says in an amused tone, looking over at her brother-in-law who is desperately trying to keep he, Kieran and Cristina’s twins (Olivia and Mateo) from running off from him.

“I’ll give you two a minute alone, I’ll be with Alec if you need me Clary, okay?” Jace says in a tone tinged with worry. He has never felt so worried in all his life, and has never been more protective of Clary, who isn’t having the smooth pregnancy she and Jace had hoped for. 

“I’ll be fine, I only had a check up with Brother Enoch this morning and he said everything is perfect, you can stop worrying.” Clary softly assures her husband. 

“That’s asking quiet a lot of me, but I’ll try.” Jace lightly says, quickly kissing Clary’s forehead before walking off to join Alec on the other side of the room.

“So how are you feeling? Have you had any symptoms or anything?” Clary asks Isabelle in an excited tone. 

“No it’s way too early to feel any morning sickness or anything, but George has been clinging to me a lot lately which mom says can be a sign that you’re pregnant, and I had a bit of spotting the other day which the doctor said is a good sign when you’re trying to conceive, we’ll be getting the results by the end of the week.” Isabelle explains, trying not to get her hopes up. 

“I really hope it works this time.” Clary gently says, grasping Isabelle’s hand in hers. 

“Me too, but enough about me, this is your baby shower, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Isabelle asks in a curious tone. Clary smiles softly at Isabelle, placing a hand on her bump. 

“Well last night Jace and I were talking about Godparents for the baby, I know it’s not custom for Shadowhunters but when I was growing up in the mundane world I always wished I had had godparents, even though me and my mom weren’t religious. Anyway, Jace and I want Simon and Alec to be the baby’s godfathers and we want you to be her godmother.” Clary softly says. She knows that if anything happens to her and Jace, Lucy will have so many people willing to take her in and love her and raise her but it would be nice for her to have official godparents who she and Jace know will take Lucy in if anything happens to them.

“Oh Clary really? Oh I thought you would ask Emma or your mom or something.” Isabelle says in a breathy tone, thrilled that Clary and Jace want to give her this honor.

“Well we did have a lot of back and forth over godparents, at first I wanted Ash to be Lucy’s godfather but then I thought about how he’s not that good with kids and is still trying to figure himself out so I didn’t want to put this pressure on him, we did think about asking my mom to be her godmother but she’s just thrilled at the idea of being a grandma and when we settled on Alec and Simon as godfathers we realized it wouldn’t feel right to ask anyone else to be her godmother, I know that if anything happens to Jace and I, I can trust you to be an amazing mom to my daughter and raise her and love her just like I plan to.” By the time Clary has finished her explanation, her eyes are welling with tears of joy. 

“Clary I would be delighted to be her godmother, I can only hope I’ll be as good as you are with George.” Isabelle lightly says, wiping at her tears.

“And I can only hope I’ll be as good a mom as you.”

*3 DAYS LATER* 

It is a quiet evening for the Lovelaces when while out for a walk with George, Isabelle receives a call from her fertility doctor with results of her blood test which will tell if she is pregnant or not.

Stopping by a bench, Isabelle puts the brakes on George’s buggy and sits down to answer the call. 

“Do you have the results?” Isabelle blurts out, eager and anxious to know. 

“Yes I do.” The doctor says in a neutral voice. 

“Well?” Isabelle prompts, her gasp on the handle of George’s buggy tightening. 

“The test was positive, you’re pregnant.” The doctor calmly says. Isabelle’s breath hitches in her throat and hear heart soars and leaps with joy. She knows it’s still very early and anything could go wrong but she cannot bare to think about that right now. 

“T-that’s amazing, t-thank you.” Isabelle stutters, before hanging up the phone and turning to look at George, who is blinking up at her with confusion. 

“Georgie you’re going to be a big brother!” Isabelle exclaims, quickly unbuckling him and scooping him up and peppering his face with kisses. “We gotta go tell daddy huh Mr. Sweet face?” She coos, cuddling him close and tight.

20 minutes later Isabelle and George arrive back home, Isabelle hardly able to contain her excitement. She takes George out of his buggy and sets him down among his toys, hoping he can entertain himself for a few minutes while she tells Simon. 

She finds Simon in their bedroom, sitting on the bed tuning his guitar. When he hears Isabelle walk into the room, he looks up form his guitar and grins widely at her. 

“Hey, how was your walk?” He asks, setting the guitar aside. 

“Good, hopefully all that fresh air will help George sleep tonight.” Isabelle says, taking her coat off and sitting down next to Simon.

“Where is Georgie anyway? He hasn’t left your side in days.” Simon curiously asks, looking around for his son. 

“He’s downstairs playing with his toys, I need to talk to you alone for a minute.” 

“What about?” Simon calmly asks, the thought never occurring to him that the pregnancy test results could be in.

“Well while George and I were on our walk I got a call from the fertility doctor.” Isabelle says in a joyful tone, grasping Simon’s hands in hers. Simon’s eyes grow wide and his heart begins to race in anticipation. 

“What about?” He nervously asks, trying to prepare himself for the possibility of bad news.

“It worked, I’m pregnant. It’s still really early on though so lets just keep this between you and me for now okay?” Isabelle quietly says, trying not to let her fear push to the front of her mind. 

“Of course, oh Isabelle this is amazing.” Simon softly says, pulling his wife into an embrace, tears of joy welling in his eyes. This baby is so wanted and loved, and he cannot wait to meet them, being a father to George is a joy like no other, so having another one will be even better. 

“Yes it is, when I got the call I got so excited I told George he’s going to be a big brother, I don’t know if he understood me or not, I shouldn’t have told him at all, now if anything goes wrong we’ll have to explain it to him.” Isabelle says in frantic, worried tone, hoping that George hadn’t been paying attention or heard her properly.

“It’s alright Izzy, even if he did understand you he’ll probably forget soon enough, he’s two, this baby is going to be the last on his mind.” Simon gently assures his wife, placing a hand on the small of her back. “When my mom told my sister she was pregnant with me, Becky forgot all about me until I was born and she was thoroughly confused as to where this new baby just came from.” He adds in a light tone. His mother and sister didn’t get to see George all that often, but they were able to see him more than they would have had Alec not been elected Consul, though it is still mandate for a Shadowhunter who ascends to leave all about their mundane life behind them, Alec turns a blind eye to Simon’s relationship with Elaine and Rebecca, especially since George was born.

“I love you.” Isabelle quietly says, resting her head on Simon’s shoulder. Simon slips his arm around her waist and kisses the top of her head. 

“I love you too.”

Over the next few weeks Isabelle begins to develop much of the same symptoms she had with George, heightened sense of smell, body aches and Nausea in the mornings, but she doesn’t mind, it’s a sign that the baby is growing and developing properly. 

At 6 weeks they have their first ultrasound where they learn that everything is healthy and progressing well and that the baby is due in the middle of February, just a few months before George’s third birthday. 

When Isabelle is 3 months pregnant, and the risk of miscarriage has significantly decreased, she and Simon agree to invite their immediate family over for dinner and announce the pregnancy then, they also agree that Simon will tell his mother and sister separately, in case Max, Rafe or George let something about the Shadow World slip, during the dinner. It’s very difficult for little George to understand why his nana can’t know about The Shadow World, while the rest of his family does. 

Today is the day of the family dinner and everyone is due to arrive soon. Isabelle is in George’s room, getting him dressed for the evening. Instead of just simply telling everyone about the baby, Isabelle and Simon decided to buy George a shirt that reads ‘World’s best big brother’ and have him ware it tonight and show everyone else. Just as they had told Rafe and Max first when Isabelle was pregnant with George, they have already told George about his little brother or sister, and he is very, very excited and even more clingy towards Isabelle.

“Isabelle your mom’s here!” Izzy hears Simon call to her from the hallway. Isabelle grins and smooths George’s hair down before softly telling him

“Go show grandma your shirt.” George turns and runs from the room toward the sound of Maryse and Simon’s voices, with Isabelle not far behind him.

“Gandma!!” George shouts in delight, running to Maryse with his arms out. Maryse grins at her grandson and bends down to hug him tightly. 

“Hello sweet Georgie, I’ve missed you.” Maryse says in a joyful tone, kissing George on the cheek causing him to squirm and giggle.

“Georgie show grandma your shirt.” Simon encourages his son. George steps back and holds his arms out to the side to show off his shirt. 

“World’s best big brother?” Maryse reads, furrowing her brow in confusion. 

“Uh uh, I gonna be big brother, my baby in there.” George says, patting Isabelle’s stomach lightly. Ever since finding out about the baby, George has constantly referred to his sibling as ‘my baby’ which is endearing but awkward when he would announce it to strangers and pat Isabelle’s stomach.

“Oh the mundane treatment worked? You’re pregnant?” Maryse asks in a tone of both joy and disbelief. Isabelle grins and nods. 

“Yes, we found out a few months ago but we wanted to keep it to ourselves until now just in case.” Isabelle explains. 

“Oh Congratulations! Georgie you’re going to be a wonderful big brother!” Maryse says, smiling down at her grandson who grins back up at her and nods. Just then the doorbell rings again and Simon makes his way into the hall to answer it. 

Seconds later Rafe and Max come barreling into the room ahead of their parents and Simon.

Max and Rafe run straight to Maryse and George’s eyes light up in delight when he sees Alec. 

“Uncle Alec!” George exclaims, reaching his arms out to be lifted. Alec grins and scoops George into his arms and settles him on his hip.

“Hey my little buddy.” Alec softly says, ruffling his nephew’s hair.

“Uncle Alec, you teach me how be good big brother? Mama says you best big brother and I wanna be good big brother to my brother or sister!” George exclaims, looking up at Alec with big blue eyes full of hope.

“Well of course I will but you don’t have a little brother or sister yet.” Alec gently says. 

“Not yet he doesn’t but he will in February.” Isabelle lightly says.

“Mama got baby in her tummy!” George exclaims in delight. 

“Really? The IVF worked?”Alec asks in a tone of disbelief, feeling as though it were years ago he signed those papers allowing his sister to seek mundane medical treatment for her fertility issues, not just months ago, and that it’s actually worked.

“Yeah it did, I’m 3 months and everything is perfect with the baby. Alec, when I was pregnant with George we simply could not decide on a godfather for him, but we really want you to be this baby’s godfather, we wouldn't have this baby without you, if you hadn’t written and passed that new law allowing us to seek out mundane medical help, if the old rules were still in place we probably never would have had a second baby.” Isabelle says in a tight tone, trying to hold back her tears at the thoughts of what might not have been.

“Oh Izzy I’d be honored, I would do anything for you, you know that, I love you.” Alec softly says, passing George to Magnus and pulling his sister into a tight embrace. 

Clary and Jace end up having to miss out on the family dinner due to Clary being so close to her due date, so Simon and Isabelle told them over the phone and they were both delighted for them. 

Thankfully this pregnancy isn’t as rough as George’s was and Isabelle generally feels well throughout the pregnancy.

 Just a few days after announcing the pregnancy to everyone, Clary and Jace’s daughter Lucy is born and Isabelle and Simon find it hard to drag themselves away from the precious new baby, eager to meet their own child in a few months. 

They decide not to find out the sex but as they had with George, they pick out a boys name and a girls name. For a boy: Noah Alexander. For a girl: Jessamine Elaine, Jessie for short, which would have been George’s name had he been a girl. 

George is extremely excited to meet his sibling, he helps Simon decorate the nursery and helps both his parents pick out new clothes, blankets, etc. for the baby and is constantly asking Alec, Jace and Rafe for advice on how to be a good big brother. 

A few weeks before the baby’s due date, Isabelle and Simon agree that the baby will be born at home with the assistance of a midwife and a Silent Brother witnessing the birth, just as it had been with George. There is not shortage of people to look after George while Isabelle is in labor, so they let George decide who he would like to stay with, and he chooses Magnus and Alec so he can play with Max and Rafe.

It’s a frosty night in the middle of February when Isabelle goes into labor, and she is relieved to have a relevantly painless labor, the pains are still there but not all that intense, especially compared to how Clary described her pains when Lucy was born.

Alec had come around to pick George up and take him to his and Magnus’ place while Simon contacted their midwife and The Silent Brothers.

After a short, painless labor, 3 hours after feeling the first contraction, Isabelle gives birth to her baby, the cries like music to her ears, something she has waited so long to hear. 

“Oh Simon we have our second baby, we really have another baby.” Isabelle says in a teary tone, listening to her baby cry and trying to catch a glimpse of them. 

“I can hardly believe it.” Simon says in a breathy tone, as the midwife places the baby on Isabelle’s chest. 

“Congratulations, you have a very healthy baby girl.” The midwife says, causing tears of joy to well up in Isabelle’s eyes. She had secretly thought throughout the whole pregnancy that the baby is a girl, and she had been a little bit terrified as she had no idea how to raise a daughter, growing up she had 3 brothers, up until very recently she only had nephews and little Lucy had not been around long enough for Isabelle to adjust to having a little girl in her life.

“A girl, I don’t know anything about girls.” She says in a light tone, all her fears and worries melting away now that her daughter is in her arms. 

“That’s odd, given that you yourself are a girl.” Simon teases, softly rubbing her back and gazing at the baby.

“I know but I don’t know anything about raising girls, I’ve only ever had brothers and nephews up until Lucy was born, and that was most of my life.” Isabelle says. “But I don’t care, I can learn, anything for our Jessie.” 

“Our little miracle.” Simon softly says, putting his arms around his wife and daughter. “You’re a fighter little one, just like your mom.” Isabelle grins and leans up to kiss her husband on the cheek. 

“I love you.” She softly says, holding Jessie tighter and closer.

“I love you too.” Simon replies. 

Isabelle can hardly believe it, after a year of trying and failing, they finally have their longed for second baby, and everything finally feels perfect.

[richiefuckfacetozier]

reddie prompt: eddie gives richie the silent treatment for saying/doing something stupid and richie lowkey has real bad issues with attention since his deadbeat parents don’t give him any, so he freaks out after trying everything to get eddie to talk to him, and eddie still doesn’t. then eddie comforts him when he confesses his issues and yeah pls i need this fluff!!! 💗💗

Chapter 3: Pour Some Sugar On Me

Story: It’s Not My Fault

Note: Thank you @wilhelmina-fae this commission came out gorgeous!

Title - Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard

Located on Archive of Our Own

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

Eddie was so mad at Richie. As in HIGHEST LEVEL on that stupid arcade game he plays all the time. 

Why was he mad? Because Richie fucking forgot it was Eddie’s birthday. 

Eddie was a stickler for his birthday traditions. Every year since he was little, Richie would come over first thing in the morning scream “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EDS” and usually throw something at him. The first year he did this, Eddie almost killed him, but the annual tradition was one of his favorites. 

Last year Richie got his hands on a blow horn, which promptly got him banned from Eddie’s house for a month. “I just wanted to blow your son, Mrs. K.” Richie had said innocently. Eddie remembered putting his hands in his face, red as a tomato. Somehow (And thank fuck for it), his mother did not get the joke and simply threw Richie out of the house. 

That was before they even started dating, or making out, or whatever they were doing. They really had not said whether they were TOGETHER together but knew they didn’t want to be with anyone else except each other. So basically exclusive without saying the words. 

Today, however, the last thing Eddie wanted to do was be around Richie. When Eddie woke up normal, without any disturbing wake-up calls, he thought he had gotten the date wrong. 

So he got dressed in a yellow polo, jeans and a sweater, grabbed his backpack and fanny pack then ran downstairs. His mother had cooked all his favorite breakfast foods and there was a cake that read “Happy 16th Birthday” on it. Now he was starting to get nervous. Did something happen to Richie? Maybe he was sick. Eddie fought the urge to pick up the phone and call his house. He sat down, eating ravenously at the eggs, bacon, biscuits, and cake until he thought his stomach would explode. His mother handed him a lunch box with extra cake inside. He kissed her on the cheek and went out the door to grab his bike. 

When he arrived at school, Bill was parking his bike at the rack taking out a container of coffee to drink. Bill had been drinking coffee since they were kids, so he usually had 2-3 cups day. He claims it calms his nerves. Bill saw Eddie approaching, “Happy Sweet 16, Eddie! Any chance you got a c-car so we can move on from bikes?” Bill had one of the sweetest smiles in their group. They always seemed rare that Eddie really appreciated receiving a genuine Bill Denbrough smile. 

Eddie grinned back, “Thanks, Big Bill and no such luck for us!” Bill handed him a present that was poorly wrapped with a card on top. The card had a hand drawn picture of all the losers as superheroes. Eddie in front as still the shortest in the gang, his hair neat and a big E on the chest of his suit. Bill gave them all masks and capes except for Richie’s drawing, which had him without glasses on. 

“If Richie truly didn’t have glasses as a superhero, he would surely get us all killed.” Eddie laughed and he wondered again if Richie was going to be in homeroom. 

“Yeah, but in this world, his g-guh-glasses hide his tr-true identity,” Bill looked at his handy work. 

“Sure, give the asshole of the group Superman’s thing. That won’t inflate his ego more.” Eddie said sarcastically. He stuffed the present in his backpack unceremoniously, then grabbed one of his folders and placed the card inside so it would not wrinkle as much. 

Ben arrived at the rack almost crashing into Eddie, then said a quick, “Hey guys!” Out of breath from riding super fast. He took a moment to calm himself, “So Eddie, I have a gift for you but some of the 12th graders started to chase me this morning and…” Ben pulled out a slightly squashed model of the Barrens. It had tons of detail from the rocks to the plants, to the miniature scale character pieces of the Losers Club.

Eddie was so touched. Ben had really come along way with his models, “This is amazing Ben! It doesn’t even matter that it’s squished.” Eddie turned it every which way to analyze the work. He did not have the patience to make something like this, let alone the organization that must go into perfecting every detail. Eddie was far too scatterbrained for that. 

“Why the barrens though?” Eddie asked. 

“Because that’s where we became friends.” Ben looked a little embarrassed. 

“T-technically, it was in an alleyway as Eddie p-p-patched you up before you died of aids.” They both looked at Bill, who just stared at them, daring them to prove him wrong. Then they all burst into laughter. Eddie’s sides were hurting from how much he was laughing. 

The 15-minute bell rang and the boys headed inside. Eddie attempted to carefully put the model in his backpack. “Did either of you see Richie when coming in today?” 

Ben shifted uncomfortably and Bill kept his eyes suspiciously away from Eddie’s face. 

“Nope, didn’t see him. I was being chased.” Ben said quickly, “Oh, I think I see those 12th graders, I’m going to hustle to class.” Ben proceeded to jog awkwardly down the hall. “I should g-g-go,” Bill said unconvincingly. “Bye.” 

Well, that seemed weird. 

Is Richie keeping something from me? Oh god…does he want to break up? Bill and Richie are so close, he probably told Bill before telling Eddie. This would become the worst birthday if his thoughts were right. 

“Eddie!” Mike came rushing down the hall, “I got you THE best gift.” Mike handed over an envelope with a sloppily written ‘Eddie is an old fart’ on the front. Before Eddie could open it, Mike burst out excitedly, “It’s a voucher to get 7 tickets to ANY movie you want at the Aladdin Theater!” 

“NO WAY,” Eddie grinned at his friend, then looked at the stupid writing on the envelope, “Mike, I thought I could count on you to be the serious friend. The only one who won’t tease me.” Eddie said dramatically. 

“I think Richie’s flair for the dramatics is rubbing off on you.” Mike chuckled. Eddie rolled his eyes skyward, “Oh fuck. Let’s not let that happen.” 

“I’ll be your personal ‘We can only handle one Richie in the group’ check-in. Also, you know full well that I tease you one day of the year. Specifically about your age, always on your birthday. Why do I do this to you?” He gestured for Eddie to speak. 

“Because I deserve the abuse at least once a year,” Eddie answered knowingly. 

“Exactly!” Mike cupped Eddie on the shoulder. 

Eddie’s knees buckled from the impact. Working at his family’s farm and sports was making Mike too strong. “Thank you for the incredible gift. This must have cost several weeks of allowance.” 

“Not at all! Been working overtime for my pops, so he gave me extra this past month and I had some help. You just have to take us all with you of course.” 

“Oh…this is awkward. I was going to take the other 6 friends I have that mean the world to me.” Eddie tried to hold a straight face but broke into a grin. Mike chuckled some more then looked at his watch. 

“Homeroom is soon, we better go.” The boys continued down the hall. Mike picked up the pace and with his much longer legs, rounding the corner toward their class faster. 

“And Mike, have you seen Rich -” But he was caught off just as he was about to turn the corner to catch up. He felt his arm being grabbed roughly. Eddie’s heart started pounding from the surprise. He was going to get beat up on his birthday, just great. He was pushed backward into the wall, his backpack cushioning the impact and definitely crushing Ben and Bill’s gifts more. His arm was pinned, and another hand grabbed his hip. He felt chapped lips hit his own and his eyes landed on the assailant. 

Eddie relaxed into the kiss with relief, closing his eyes. Richie smelled of his usual cigarettes and candy. The candy seemed to be something fruity, which Eddie could only tell was cherry after Richie coaxed his mouth open. As they deepened the kiss, the usual butterflies swarmed in Eddie’s stomach. 

It suddenly occurred to Eddie that Richie was just fine. Not sick or dying, completely normal. Eddie’s brain woke up before getting carried away and he bit Richie’s lip. “OW EDS,” Richie said drawing back, he ran his middle finger over his bottom lip, and stared at the smear of red on it for several seconds. “You bit me,” he said, sounding astonished. 

Eddie crossed his arms in front of him. He glared opening his mouth about to tell Richie off for worrying him and forgetting a certain person’s birthday when he thought better of it and shut his mouth. 

Richie kept looking at him confused, a flicker of a smirk coming on, “Are you mad about something?” 

Eddie’s eyebrows rose incredulously, waiting for Richie to catch on. The taller boy just kept his face neutral and unblinking, trying to start a staring contest. Eddie could hit that stupid face if he was a violent person. Instead, he readjusted his backpack, combed a hand through his hair and walked away. Not speaking to Richie would be more punishment then yelling at him. 

Richie would probably convince Eddie to forgive him immediately if he did speak and Eddie was not ready to be that kind. He preferred being petty sometimes. 

He almost made it to class before Richie caught up with him. “You know,” He said with a teasing tone, “Not talking to me is pretty childish. Being short and the youngest of our group doesn’t mean you have to behave like a kid.” 

Eddie ignored the bait and opened the door to their class just as the school bell rang. 

The rest of the day…WAS HILARIOUS. 

Richie, being the attention seeker he is, was constantly and incessantly trying to make Eddie talk to him. 

During homeroom, he tried flirting. 

“Hey Eddie, what’s that on your face?!” Richie exclaimed in a whisper. Eddie looked up from his book with a stony expression. “Oh my god! It’s just your beautiful eyes!” Richie batted his long, dark eyelashes. Eddie took his book and hid behind it. 

“Don’t hide your beauty from the world!” Then a student nearby shushed them and Richie fell silent. 

As they left homeroom for their next classes, Richie moved onto his classic: your mother jokes.

“Your mother’s had the clap so many times her doctor treats her for applause.” He said raising his hand up to Mike for a hive five but keeping his eyes on Eddie. Mike shook his head laughing a little and did not return the gesture. Eddie kept on walking to get to his next class. 

During lunch Eddie would converse with everyone except Richie, which proved hard since he sat so close to Eddie on the bench, he might as well be on his lap. In fact, one of his legs was slung over Eddie’s but he kept ignoring him.

“Stan and I baked you a cake!” Beverly said excitedly. 

“You didn't…” Eddie looked at Stan who beamed at him, handing over a carefully wrapped package with a bow tied perfectly on top. 

Richie laughed at the present, “I see Stan the man took advantage of wrapping the gift, but it’s a cake. He’s just going to tear it apart and eat it all.” 

“I made sure to poison it on the section you give Richie,” Stan mumbled glaring at Richie. 

“Oh he’s not getting any,” Eddie replied. 

“OH, MY GOD! You all heard it. He spoke to me.” Richie pointed at the group who just tried to avoid the tension. 

“I don’t think that counts because he said it to Stan.” Beverly ventured with a hesitant smile. They were all trying to be cheerful but it was hard when Eddie’s enthusiasm was forced. 

They all dug into the cake. Which was half chocolate and half vanilla. The icing was made from scratch, easily the tastiest thing Eddie had ever experienced. Richie watched everyone clearly hurt. He removed his leg from Eddie’s and shifted over so that they stopped touching. Eddie stiffened at this, almost venturing to speak to Richie but he could not do it. Richie STILL had not acknowledged his birthday. Eddie had no idea what the kid was playing at but it was not fun or funny. 

He rose from his seat and all eyes went to him, “I think I’ll head to class early. I’ll see you all after school and we can head to the park then grab dinner.” Eddie picked up his lunch box and pushed the rest of the cake toward Richie before leaving the group. 

He got to his locker, did the combination, and got smacked in the face with confetti and glitter raining down on him. 

“What the fuck?!” He sputtered and spit out the confetti. He removed the confetti from his hair looking at the explosion of birthday decorations in his locker. His eyes landed on a card. 

He picked up the card and the front read: To my favorite superhero, you deserve to have your face plastered on every cereal box in town. 

The writing was obviously Richie’s. He opened the card and taped to the inside was a gold cereal box ring. Eddie had lost the one he used to have years ago. He took it off the card, placing the ring on his right pinky. 

“Hey, Eddie. Let’s g-g-go.” Eddie turned around to see Bill. 

“Bill, what’s going on?” Eddie asked confused but with a huge smile on his face. 

“Oh, you know Richie. He couldn’t just throw you a simple p-p-party.” Bill grabbed Eddie by the elbow, closing the locker. 

“We have class!” Eddie protested slightly. 

Bill yanked harder on his arm, steering him away from the confetti-strewn ground. “Nope. Ben forged notes.” 

“He did?!” This was so out of character, Eddie could not believe his rule-abiding friend would do such a thing. 

“R-R-Richie promised to tutor him in math. He’s the only one with an A in the class.” Bill shrugged. Eddie let himself be taken down the hall and out of the school. They walked along for about 10 minutes before Eddie realized they were going to the Barrens. 

“We haven’t been down there in forever,” Eddie whispered nervously. 

“It’s ok, Eddie,” Bill squeezed his arm reassuringly. “We’ll keep each other safe like always.” 

When they got to the Barrens, Ben was there with a banner that read ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDS!’ “Ben, how dare you hold that monstrosity. Eds is not my name!” But Eddie was smiling from ear to ear without a real care. “He’s such a dick.” Shaking his head thinking about Richie painting this. 

Ben grinned, “Fits since his name IS Richie.” With Bill’s help, they folded up the banner. Then Ben took out a piece of paper. 

“Richie commissioned me to write this,” Ben said importantly. 

Eddie laughed at that, “What could he possibly pay you with?” 

“Mostly in candy and the promise of an A in math,” Ben cleared his throat, 

“I come with no wrapping or pretty pink bows. 

I am who I am from my head to my toes. 

I tend to get loud when speaking my mind. 

Even a little crazy most of the time. 

I’m certainly not perfect and don’t care to be. 

You can be you and I can be me. 

I try to stay strong when pain knocks me down. 

And the times that I cry is when no one’s around. 

To error is human or so that’s what they say. 

Well, tell me who’s perfect anyway.”

Eddie stayed silent at first. His eyes looked up and blinked quickly holding back unshed tears. He managed to say a soft, “Thanks, Ben.” 

“Your poetry is getting r-r-really good!” Bill said appreciatively. “Ok, next stop.”

“How long is this gift?” Eddie could not believe how much work had clearly gone into this. 

“Oh, just wait,” Ben said excitedly. Eddie followed them away from the Barrens. Ben handed Eddie the poem and he placed it in his backpack. 

They headed toward a park that was a usual hangout for all of them. Especially when Richie and Beverly want to smoke weed and talk about life. Eddie usually did not smoke unless he was really stressed out, those years thinking about how smoking is bad for your lungs when you have asthma does not go away. He may not actually have asthma, but he still carries around his inhaler out of habit. 

In the distance, he could see Stan and Beverly running around setting up some kind of picnic. There was a blanket with an assortment of food. Beverly turned on Richie’s portable radio, while Stan meticulously set and reset all the food. As they approached, Stan looked up in alarm, he heard him say, “Abort the balloons! We are out of time.” 

“What!” Shouted Mike from behind a tree, “I took the time to throw out the red ones and have been blowing up the rest as fast as I can! They are happening.” 

“Ok, so where is Richie hiding?” Eddie asked laughing at his friends. Eddie felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned around, Richie was dressed in a white button-up shirt and black slacks. He had clearly tried to comb and calm his curls, but they had not stayed contained very well. 

“Hey Eddie,” Richie smirked at Eddie’s reaction, which he knew must be one of utter shock. 

“You look…amazing,” Eddie said quietly. “You could have at least TOLD me to dress up too! I look like crap.” He looked down at his green shorts and yellow polo shirt in dismay. 

“You always look great,” Richie shrugged. “Didn’t think it mattered. Anyway, not what’s important right now. Beverly if you would.” 

Beverly came over to Eddie and handed him a shirt. He unfolded it. It was a replica of the superhero shirt, Bill had drawn of him with the E on it. There were gold flecks outlining the letter. The shirt was red with a purple E, his favorite color combination. “You made this?!” 

“Put it on!” She urged. He quickly took his polo off throwing it at no one in particular, then put the superhero shirt on. 

“Guys, this is all amazing. Thank you so so much.” Eddie felt tears coming on and quickly wiped at his eyes. “God, I’m so fucking sappy today.” 

“Don’t become soft on us!” Stan told him. 

Richie clapped his hands together, “Ok! Let’s eat, it’s getting dark.” They all gathered around and ate, laughing and teasing Eddie about being old. Mike laid out balloons around the group with pride. 

“So did you all come up with this big charade?” Eddie finally asked. 

“Mostly Richie, he wanted you to feel like a superhero,” Ben responded. 

“Cause you’re my hero every day.” Richie grinned. At that, he took out a bottle of cheap wine he probably nicked from his parents’ and poured out cups for everyone. 

“Raise a glass to Eddie,” Richie gazed into Eddie’s eyes. They were bright as the sun to him and kinder than ever. “You’re my best friend and in front of all our other best friends I want to officially call you my boyfriend, unless you object, but be warned I’m a fragile being.” Eddie shoved Richie but did not object. “It’s been hard to say boyfriend mostly because, at home, things aren’t great. I don’t tell you all too much about it because I WANT to be the friend who keeps it light and happy. I think the only person with any idea is Bill who has walked in on unfortunate family drama in the past. But -“ Richie put down his drink and took both of Eddie’s hands to hold. “I want to be there for you when things get hard just as I know you will be there for me. Ben wrote his poem by me talking about how much I think I’m not good enough for you.” 

“Richie -“ Eddie squeezed the other boy’s hands. 

“I’m serious Eddie. I’m not. I’m selfish to take someone off the market who is as great as you. So I want to thank you for everything. Here’s to you and whatever happens next.” Eddie kissed Richie full on the mouth while the gang took a drink, whooping and hollering. Richie smiled pulling Eddie’s head in closer. They parted and took drinks from the cups of wine. 

The rest of the group started to pick up their various things giving Eddie hugs and asking him how the birthday turned out, “It was perfect, you losers are all perfect.” They eventually trickled away leaving Richie and Eddie to be by themselves. 

Eddie said his last goodbye and slowly walked over to Richie with a big grin on his face. Richie was lounging on the blanket with his legs stretched out, finishing off Bill’s barely drunk wine. He made a sour face, “I should have grabbed something better.” Eddie stood above him gazing down at Richie in a rare moment of sweetness, “Nah, then your parents would have noticed.” Eddie kicked Richie’s shoe, and the boy glanced up. He guessed what Eddie wanted and parted his legs. Eddie turned around and sat between Richie’s legs, leaning against his torso. Richie put down the drink and wrapped his arms around Eddie’s middle. He took Eddie’s hand with the ring and admired it for a moment, then kissed his cheek. 

“Sooooooo, do I get an apology?” Richie mocked. 

Eddie ran his hands over Richie’s arms softly, “And why, pray tell, would you deserve that?” 

“Because you wouldn’t talk to me ALL DAY. It was excruciating.” Richie whined. 

Eddie rolled his eyes, “Would you like some cheese with that whine, attention whore? You acted like you forgot my birthday. As you now know, I hate that shit.” 

“My good SIR! I am no whore! I am a proper lady,” Richie said in a terrible southern belle impression. 

“Beep Beep Richie.” Eddie said softly. 

Richie chuckled then said in his regular voice, “I was going to come surprise you, as usual, this morning, but I got held up…” Eddie waited patiently for Richie to go on. He just kept running circles along the arms that surrounded him, looking at his gold pinky ring. This seemed to help Richie relax. “My mom got really really drunk last night. When I tried to wake her this morning…she would not move. As in, I was worried she was…ya know. I finally got her out of bed and in the shower when I realized you were probably already at school. Then I just turned it into a game because it’s fun to mess with you.” 

Eddie scoffed as Richie put his chin on his shoulder. Eddie leaned his own head against the side of Richie’s face, “What about your dad?” 

Richie sighed heavily, “My Dad doesn’t give a shit about me or Mom. He may as well move out for all I care.” Eddie knew he was lying by the amount of sadness in his voice. 

Eddie brought Richie’s hands to his mouth to kiss them. “Why have you never told me any of this?” 

“Because it’s my problem, not yours.” He confessed. 

“Your problems are my problems. I want them to be. Or at least, want you to tell me so I don’t assume it’s something else.” Eddie turned his head so they were looking at each other. “Things go a mile a minute in my head.” 

“Tell me about it.” Richie laughed pushing back a stray hair from Eddie’s face, “I can only focus when you are around.” Eddie shook his head, “Lucky you. I’ve never been able to focus around you.” 

Eddie’s eyes were glued to Richie’s golden brown ones like he had cast some kind of spell on him. For once, he didn’t want to make a move. Eddie was content to just stare into his eyes if that was all he wanted to do. Eddie raised a hand so he could run it through Richie’s hair. “You know that line in the poem about ‘the times that you cry are when you’re alone’?” Eddie played with Richie’s curls as he nodded in understanding. “Well, I don’t want you to ever feel alone, but if you do, you can cry to me. God knows I’ve cried to you.” Richie took a shuddering breath and then he was kissing Eddie. 

Eddie readjusted so he was sideways on Richie’s lap. Richie drew him in closer; his mouth was open over Eddie’s, his tongue running gently along Eddie’s lips for permission. He opened his mouth under Richie’s, pressed up against him, arms wrapping around his neck. Richie tasted like salt, his face feeling wet, and Eddie realized Richie was actually crying. Eddie stopped the kiss, kept his arms around Richie and let his head fall in the crook of his neck, and let him cry. Richie’s arms tightened around Eddie’s waist. His sobs were silent but heartbreaking. 

They didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but Eddie could have stayed for a lifetime and not notice. 

At some point, Richie whispered, “Thanks, Birthday Boy.”