#held of max by nearly 8 seconds

[racewinners-landoandsam]

guys i am very very drunk, told me dad lando win was the best day of my life and he is slightly concerned, but honestly i've never been happier, i'm completely fucked, i keep screaming, my whole family hate me, but they understand, it's Lando Norris, he's won, no one deserves it more, what a legend, he was so right to stay with Mclaren!!!!!!

[lovesickgolbach]

New Adventures || MV33

Description: When Max had found out that you and him were expecting your first child, he instantly knew that it was his duty to be the best husband and father to your unborn child. 

Warnings: Mentions of pregnancy, kinda mentions of sex???, swearing, fluff, sorta sad but in a happy way :)

a/n: miami gp max>>>>>>

enjoy!

Y/n

It had been a regular Monday morning. Max was out at the factory after yesterdays race, doing the regular debrief with his team. It had only been 3 races into the season, but you could already feel how the pressure was starting to weigh down on him after all those races resulted in DNF’s. You felt bad for your husband, wishing there was something else you could do besides be a shoulder to cry on. 

You sighed laying your hand on your lower stomach. “I’m sure we’ll get a better time to tell daddy about you.” you spoke softly with a small smile. You and max had been married for nearly a year, after dating for 5. Kids was never anything you had really discussed or planned but you both weren’t against the idea of having them in the future. But one drunken night changed the ‘future’ to ‘now’.

Max texted you that he was getting onto his jet, on his way to fly back home to you. You smiled reading the text, deciding to get started on dinner. 

You had just put the lasagna in the oven when the front door opened. Max smiled at you as he entered “Schatje” he said, wrapping his arms around you tightly. “I missed you so much” he said and you giggled. “Love, you left this morning, it hasn’t even been 8 hours” you said laying your head on his chest. “8 hours is already a long time!” he exclaimed dramatically. You playfully rolled your eyes at him.

He walked to the cabinet, pulling out 2 wine glasses. “Drink?” he held a glass up towards you. You looked at him for a second then at the glass and back at him, slightly panicking. 

“Y/n? Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” He giggled slightly at your pale face. The room was silent for a while before you spoke. 

“I’m pregnant Max” you breathed out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. 

“What?” 

“I’m pregnant” 

“Are you joking?”

“Do I ever say no to wine?” you spoke seriously. 

“Oh my god! You’re serious!” His eyes widened and his face lit up. “We’re having a baby?!” He jumped excitedly and ran into your arms, hugging you tight.

“We’re having a baby.” You spoke reassuring him and hugging back tight. You could feel his hand on your stomach. “A little one of us” he said proudly with excitement laced into his voice.

--

Later that night you had been cuddling with him in bed. His hand barely leaving your stomach. “Are you really sure there’s a baby in there?” he looked at you. “Well I took like 6 tests that all came out positive” you giggled “so I would hope they were all telling the truth” you smiled at him and he kissed you gently but full of passion. You kissed back, moving so your bodies were now fully wrapped around one another. Suddenly, he pulled back.

“I’m retiring” he stated simply and you were caught off guard by is sudden statement. “What!? Max no!” you sat up, looking at him. “Are you crazy?! You love Formula 1! You can’t just retire!” You hit his shoulder.

“Ow! What was that for!” He hit you back.

“Ow! You’re being stupid! That’s why!” you rubbed your shoulder where he hit you.

“I’m not being stupid Y/n.. I mean look at how this year is going! I have zero points, the car keeps fucking dying on me and the team couldn’t care less! Plus I want to raise this baby with you, I don’t want work to get in the way of us, our little family.” You looked at him unsure “Max..”

“You’re not changing my mind Y/n. I’m not missing this for anything. I’m retiring after this season and I will be here, present, to raise this baby, together” He smiled at you. God, you could drown in those blue eyes of his. 

“Alright” you spoke, kissing him again.

_______

Since that day you had told Max, you had found out that your baby was due in early September. Max was ecstatic, taking to your belly, kissing it, touching it, the works. It made you happy seeing how excited he was. 

By the time the fourth race had rolled around, you had gotten the ‘ok’ from your doctor to tell everyone. You didn’t want to risk telling people too early, as the first few months of pregnancy is crucial. Per usual, you and Max had arrived at the paddock early on Sunday morning so that he could do all his pre race interviews and whatnot. You waited in his drivers room, keeping yourself occupied with your phone while you waited for him. 

He came in a while later, closing the door behind him as he got undressed to put his suit on. “Are you ready? For the race” You asked, eyeing him up and down. 

“Hey! My eyes are up here!” he giggled, “but yes, I am ready. Pole definitely helps” he smiled at you, letting the top half of his race suit rest on his hips. 

“Go kick some ass out there, daddy” you took his hand and laid on your belly and smiled up at him. 

“Oh I definitely will” He smiled, planting a quick kiss on his lips and walking out to the garage with you. He passed you a set of headphones so that you could hear the team radio as well. 

He left a while later, traveling to the grid for the start of the race.

--

“I can not believe it ladies and gentleman! Max Verstappen Wins the Grand Prix!”

--

You sat in the back of the post race conference room, nerves building in your hands as the drivers took their seats next to Max, Checo in P2 sitting on his right hand side and Hamilton in P3, sitting to the left. You nervously played with your wedding ring as the post race conference started. 

Question after question came at the drivers, all about race and their cars, etc. Max had answered and the announcer started to speak again, ending off the session. 

No ones POV

“Anything else that you would like to add?” the announcer looked at the drivers. Max raised his hand and brought the mic closer to his mouth. “I would like to actually” he spoke as the room’s attention turned on him. “Um” he spoke nervously giggling, “This will be my final season competing in Formula 1.”

The room was silent, the media trying to understand what he had just said. “After the race in Abu Dhabi, I will be retiring as a driver, to spend time with my growing family” he smiled proud looking at his wife then back at the cameras. "Y/n and I are expecting a baby due in September" he said smiling proudly at the camera. “That’s all” he got up and walked out with the other drivers, Y/n tried her best to follow them out, but there was press following them everywhere, they were following her too, cameras and questions were being thrown at her from every direction. 

Eventually, she managed to catch up to Max, holding his hand tight as he guided them through the paddock, thanking the people who were throwing “congratulations” from every direction.

“This baby was going to have one busy life” Max giggled at Y/n .

“Oh for sure!” She smiled.

____

9 Months had now gone by, you were due any day now. You were sat on your couch at home, smiling as you watched the podium ceremony, Max had yet won another race, leading the championship by more than 80 points, and after the start of the season you couldn’t have been more happy for him. You snapped a picture of your belly and the tv, posting it on your story and captioning it “My two favorite people in one picture”

You got up, needing to pee for what felt like the millionth time, as you approached the bathroom you felt the feeling of liquid spilling down between your legs. “damn it!” you mumbled going to grab a piece of toilet paper to clean yourself up, when you realized how big the wat patch actually was. “Shit...”you froze in place as a sharp pain shot through your uterus, causing you to collapse onto the floor. You sat there for a while, doing the breathing exercises you had learnt in birthing class. Eventually the pain had subsided and you managed to grab your phone, dialing Max. 

Cathy, his PR manager answered. “Hey Y/n! What a race huh?” she beamed through the phone. Another pain shot through your system, causing you to crouch down and hold you belly. You groaned in pain, “I-It’s time..” was all you had managed to say. Cathy instantly knew. “Oh shit! Alright, I’m putting Max on a plane right now!” she basically tossed the phone to Max, “Hello? Y/n?” he was already walking to the car, his heart broke at the sound of you in pain. “I’m on my way okay? I promise I’ll be right there with you. You just need to breathe okay? I love you so much.” 

Max had arrived at the hospital a while later, an ambulance had to rush you there as well. And before you knew it, you were holding your little baby in your arms. “We made this...” Max said amazed. “We did” You looked up at him and smiled big. "Our Little family."

maxverstappen1

maxverstappen1: And so our new adventure begins... @ yourusername thank you for my angel Evangeline "Eva" Verstappen Born 2:14 am

View 243,376 comments

a/n: oo lemme post this! enjoy lmao its a tiiiiny blurb i had sitting in my drafts for a while so take it as a placeholder. bye bye for now

[deepperplexity]

Prompt 19: Hope [B6]

Pairing: Snape x Fem!OC

POV: First, OC

Setting: Unknown place during a blizzard

Continuation of: Prompt 2. Restless Waiting, 3. Snowballing, 7. Stormy Reunion, 8. Rosemary For Holly & 16. Keep Warm

A/N: So, I'm here again, just a little later in the evening and I'm so glad I decided to write a shorter one for this prompt. I'm honestly stressing to the max and I haven't even started on tomorrows fic so I'm feeling the pressure... Still have another two Christmas celebrations to host as well but only one more before Rickmas2023 is over 😂👍 I'm still so so so in love with this event and I really do love seeing the community come together. I'm very very sorry I'm not fully able to reply to everything atm but as soon as I just have enough time I'll do it - you're words deserve all my attention and a thought-out reply too ❤ ON TO THE STORY OF TODAY!

Tags/TW’s: Love, Longing, Broken Hearted, Wishing For A Future, Abandoning/Losing Hope, Being Cold, Sacrifices For The Greater Good, Hurt No Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Being Cold, Feeling Abandoned/Lost, Mentions Future Death/Pain, Regret

Word Count: 1.4k

LINKTREE // AO3 // MASTERLIST

My muscles strained against the sluggishness, the blizzard seemed to kick up a notch as I managed to sit up. I was cold all the way through. “Where are you?” Severus called, his voice a barely there thunder of worry. “Sev!” I shouted, mustering all my strength. “Belinna!” “I’m here!”

The sound of crunching snow reached me as I got myself up, trying hard not to topple over from the rough winds my weak body could barely withstand. His arms were around me the next second, his body shielding me from the onslaught while keeping me upright with his tight grip. “I knew you’d come,” he said by my ear, the relief in his voice palpable while my fingers grasped at his thick cloak. “I’ll always wish for you,” I said, my face nearly pushed into his neck. “Hold tight,” he said and my fingers tensed before we flew. Black shadows enveloped us and the twisting in my gut had my stomach in an upheaval.

It was over just a minute later. We were in the cover of trees, towering pines reaching as high as I could see. “Are you hurt?” he asked while grabbing my face with his cold hands. “No.” His eyes searched mine for any lie but I spoke the truth. I wasn’t hurt, confused and drained, but not hurt. “We go on foot,” he declared. “On foot?” “No trace.” I simply nodded at his words, happy I’d put on shoes before lying in bed.

Severus grabbed my hand and began walking, tugging me along through the heavy snow while I held on tight and tried to keep my coat cinched around my throat. The cold was starting to bite through all the layers I wore. It wasn’t the same as the English winter, or any other type of cold I’d ever experienced before. It felt feral, menacing nearly.

“Where are we?” I asked over the wind while it slithered in a rush between the tree trunks. “Can't tell you,” he said over his shoulder. “You should not know.” I merely nodded, I knew whatever reason he had for keeping so many secrets it was a good one. Truth be told, I was merely happy feeling his hand around mine, seeing him safe and whole — even if it was in the middle of a blizzard in some forgotten part of the world. He was there, alive and grasping my hand as if he were afraid to lose his grip on me.

We trudged on, Severus picked up the speed the deeper into the forest we went. “Wand out,” he said when he finally slowed down and I gasped for breath while my stiff muscles ached in the cold. “Now,” he demanded further and I reached inside my clothes to get my wand. “Sev?” I asked but he shook his head and squeezed my hand. Good thing I’m left-handed, I thought when I returned the squeeze and tried to keep my fear at bay. He was so stiff, so tense. It had my heart in my throat feeling the tension radiating from him as we inched closer to whatever destination he had in mind.

We entered a clearing and the wind just died off, as if someone closed a door. “We’re here,” he whispered and my eyes scanned the space. There was nothing there. Just a small open space among the tall trees where the weather seemingly couldn’t reach us at all. “Where is here?” I asked, stepping closer to him as something cold slithered up my spine. “The home of… The home I thought could have been my sanctuary after everything was over. But now, it is over, before it has even begun.” “Severus, what do you mean?” “If things had been, different … I would have taken you here, after everything was done…” “You’re scaring me, Sev…”

For, he did. He spoke in a manner I had never heard before that seemed drowned in anguish. He turned toward me, his face softened and turned gentle in the strange light of the clearing while I tried to remain upright. “When the moment comes,” he began as his finger stroked my chin, “you will have this part of me.” “When-, what?” I asked, my voice near frantic as he seemed destitute. “Love,” he whispered. “I am so sorry.” “S-Severus? What are you talking about?” “The plan is already in motion. When the time comes, I must kill Albus, I must become the evil in everyone's view to keep as many as possible safe, alive . There will be no place for me after, dead or alive. With all things in motion, all aspects of the plan, there are too many things that can go wrong and I am certain death will come for me before this war ends. One way or another, I will not be here with you after all is done.”

His words, they hurt so fiercely I could barely breathe while he looked at me with a sorrow and hurt so deep I couldn’t see an end to it. There was no end to his pain. A pain he’d carried all alone, for however long. I wished to take it away, wrap him up in a blanket and shower him with all my love, all my warmth, every ounce of joy I still held on to despite the dark times.

“Are you saying…” “Yes, love. That's what I'm saying.” “But, you can’t-, I mean-, we-, there must be a way!” My voice carried all over the clearing in the absence of other sounds. His soft smile, so gentle looking and sweet, was directed at me at that moment as he pulled me. His arms wrapped me up, I gripped at him while trying to find some sort of strength to hold on to the hope of a future with him I had barely ever even dared to imagine. “Here, you will survive,” he whispered into my hair. “You will live, and life will be yours to cherish.” “I don’t want that without you.” “You never had me, Belinna. I stayed away for as long as I could and then the choice was made for me when he saw you in my mind. I would never have even—” “Don’t. Please, don’t take what little love you’ve offered me.” “As you wish.”

We stood in silence until my snivelling broke the quiet. He was right, I’d never had him, and now I never would. I’d never know him deeply, intimately, lovingly. I’d never have a chance at finding a normal life with him, or even a crazy one. I’d never have what I’d hoped for in secret within the deepest parts of my heart. The hope I’d felt just a few moments ago had gone — vanished, for all eternity.

“When things seem most dark,” Severus said as I tried to soak up every tone of his voice. “Follow your heart. Your heart will lead you right.” “It led me to you, it always will…” “And mine takes me away,” he said while my body tensed up. “To keep you safe.” “Severus,” I began but my body turned heavy. “What-, what’s happening?” I asked, looking up into the most beautiful eyes I would ever see in all my life. “This was all I could grant,” he whispered. “All— What?” “Belinna, know that I love you. I will always love you, from the moment you spilt pumpkin soup over my best frock, it has been you .” “Severus, I-, I love you too. Only you.” I held on as tightly as I could while my knees yielded and the shadow of a little house seemed to flicker behind Severus as my head slumped to the side. The light of a single candle in the window was the last thing I saw before Severus sunk to the ground with me cradled in his arms as my body gave way to the heavy sleep taking over. Hurt, pain, and panic filled my heart and rushed through my body with my blood but I could do nothing.

He kissed me, a soft touch upon my lips that I couldn’t return. “Know that had I known you were an option in the future, I never would have offered my life for another. But you were too late, and I was too hurt…” I wished to scream at him, shout my love for all the world to hear. But I could not. Everything disappeared and I fumbled through the darkness without moving a single muscle only to jolt awake back in the cottage, no sign I had ever gone anywhere at all…

…To Be Continued…

LINKTREE // AO3 // MASTERLIST

A/N: REMINDER THAT EVERY RICKMAS2023 FIC HAS A HEA! 😂 Don't come for me after this part of the Snape Serial this Rickmas 🙈

Q: Are you rather too cold or too warm? A: Too cold, easiest Q so far I think. I used to never be too warm, but now, gosh, I hate being too warm 😂

TAGLIST: @lizlil @snapefiction @darkthought15 @monstreviolet @flowerdementia @marvelschriss @once-upon-an-imagine @ravennight41 @caseydoodles98 @slytherinprincess03 @theconsultingdetectiveswife @grimmyhild @monster-energies @myobscureimaginarium @snowblossomreads @eternal-silvertongued-prince @cherryglossie @setsuna-meiou31 @helena211 @a-queen-and-her-throne @justsaturn0 @turvi @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky @sunnylikesfrogs @mamawolfsmith16 @dianilaws @sassanoe @snapesrn @bernadette-peters12 @sammy-13 @smartowl999 @castleofthorns @serenanight87 @leah1243

@morphineisouthoney @meteoritewolf69 @bionic-otp @elizabeth-baelish @romanceandsarcasm @severuslovebot @glowstar826 @rickmandowneyjr @yellowbadgermole @snapesangel @a-queen-and-her-throne @impulse-anchor @commodoreseverus  @writewithmarites @alisongurl13 @yan-senna @writewithmarites @reinekefoxart @nixislight @lokisbjchnl  @lght-n-drk @ladykardasi @lyrixsnape @sunset90 @mamawolfsmith87 @snowblossomreads @ladykardasi @a-queen-and-her-throne @eternal-silvertongued-prince @lyrixsnape @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky @daddythanatos

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[Dec:2023]

[eddiediazangst]

I'm actually not done talking about how incredibly well Charles did in Baku this year. Especially with how shit the car is and how are the time it had no upgrades (Baku is basically how Bahrain would have ended if the "human error" didn't occur (and maybe Monaco if the FIA followed their own penalty rules))

Beat both Redbulls in not one but two qualis by nearly 2 tenths each time.

Podium in the slow tyre obliterator of a "car"

Held off a Redbull and their disgustingly good drs speed for half the sprint.

Beat his own teammate by 8 tenths and then 6 tenths in quali.

Beat Max in the sprint. (Yes Max had a hole from George but that Redbull acted like it was a small brush with a wall, it was still stupidly fast.)

Kept up and held off the Redbulls for a respectable chunk of time in the race.

Recognized Alonso’s tire/overtaking strategy and beat him by not letting Alonso get DRS until the last lap. Once again he's got a worse and slower car than the people he's fighting, it's not a Redbull rocket but it's a fast car powered by Fernando and his 1000 years of racing and spite.

Finished over 24 seconds in front of his teammate.

On top of all this he also broke/set 5 records.

First and only driver to get Pole in Baku three times.

First and only driver to get Pole in Baku four times.

First and only driver to get two poles in one race week.

Set the new fastest lap record for Baku which beats Valtteri's 2019 lap time.

First time a car from the ground effect era has beaten a 2021 pole time.

[millie-multifics]

Amongst the Snowflakes

Steve Harrington x Reader

Confessions are made while snowflakes begin to cover the streets of Hawkins.

Warnings: Fluff. Brief mentions of non-existent children and pregnancy. Spoilers to volume 4 through mentions of events and injuries.

Word Count: ~1.6k

Masterlist

x x x

Walking out of work, the first thing you had noticed was over your 8-hour shift there was a change in the air. You took a deep breathe as the newly arrived winter air kissed your cheeks, the chill stinging your lungs held a familiar smell that was unusual for early November: snow. The gray sky was another sign that tonight would be the first snowfall, marking another season passed since the carnage that Hawkins had endured last spring.

Once Hawkins had gained back a sliver of normalcy and Eddie’s name had been cleared by the government coverup, Saturday night was quickly designated their weekly movie night. Working at a grocery store meant you oversaw snacks while Steve and Robin brought the movies- everyone had agreed that only older movies were on the roster as Max’s eyesight had been severally diminished by Vecna and the last thing anyone wanted was for her to feel left out. You lifted the brimming paper bag out of the car and walked the pathway up to Steve’s house.

You had been a long-time friend of Eddie’s at the time of the scandal, devoting your time to keeping the metalhead out of jail when he was accused of murder. You had never been a fan of King Steve when you attended Hawkins High, but the Steve Harrington who risked his life for a group of misfit kids and the unknowing town of Hawkins was somehow much more unintentionally charming. He had become your new best friend and you had become his crutch, stealing his heart as he recovered from yet another interdimensional attack.

You rested the paper bag against your hip as you struggled to untangle the key Steve had presented you on your sixth month anniversary. You had spent most of your nights being wrapped in Steve’s arms so it was only fitting that he gave you a key for his usually empty house.

“Honey, I’m home!” You greeted Steve, dropping your keys into the bowl by the door and kicking off your shoes. He popped his head out of the kitchen with the phone pressed against his ear, confirming the pizza order as he sent you an acknowledging wave and welcoming smile. You emptied the bag of snacks onto the counter, digging through the cupboards to find the large bowls for the potato chips and smaller bowls for the various types of candy. 

 “Pizza is on the way,” Steve announced as he hung the phone on its hook, “the movies are ready to go and everyone should be here any second now.”

“Did you see the sky? It looks like it is going to snow tonight.”

Steve hummed as he wrapped his arms around your waist, burying his face into your neck, “I’ve already called everyone about staying the night, no use sending them home in the middle of the night if the roads are covered in snow.”

“I will dig out the spare blankets and pillows, after I change out of these clothes and into something much comfier.” 

 Steve spun you in his arms, his hands finding your hips as he smirked down at you. “I could come help you with that.”

“You do remember that children are going to be here soon?”

“I was talking about getting the pillows and blankets.” He insisted, feigning innocence at your inappropriate accusation. The tell-tale squeak of Eddie’s breaks on his beaten van announced the arrival of all the younglings just as Steve’s lips met your own in a sweet peck, “And that is my que. You go take a shower and change into something comfortable and I shall entertain our guests.”

“It’s so quiet.” You hummed into Steve’s hair as he rested his head on your chest, your heartbeat nearly lulling him back to sleep.

“It’s always quieter when it snows.”

“Shhh.” Both adults could hear the kids as they lurked outside the bedroom door. There was no doubt that they had discovered the snow upon waking up. “We should let them sleep.”

“But I want to play in the snow!” The familiar whine of impatience made you both chuckle.

You nudged Steve’s shoulders until he was sitting up, rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes. The chill of the room and loss of warmth from your lover made you pull your robe over your shoulders. Two sets of eyes stared up at you as you pulled open the bedroom door.

“We didn’t mean to wake you up.” Your daughter, the spitting image of you, smiled innocently.

“I want to play in the snow.” Your son whined again, rolling his eyes over his younger sister’s innocent act when she had been the one to wake him up by jumping on his bed with uncontained excitement.

“And what do we say when we want something?” Steve asked, moving to lean against you in the doorway. Your heart banging in your chest with love as you watched Steve interact with your two children.

“Please! Can we please go play in the snow now?”

“Baby, wake up.” You were awoken from your slumber by Steve softly brushing his fingers over your cheek. “The kids want to go play in the snow.”

The light from the television was harsh on your eyes as the credits for the third movie rolled down the screen, your day at work had drained you so you had fallen asleep at the beginning of the second film. You could hear Dustin screeching outside as he dodged snowballs being thrown by Eddie, the sound grounding you into reality after your blissful dream. You sent Steve a tired smile as he pulled you to your feet, helping you get your arms into the sleeves of your jacket and even zipping it up to your chin.

It was always quiet in Hawkins at 1 o’clock in the morning but you were sure it had never been this peaceful, even the squeals of excitement and giggle of happiness around you were muted by the snow. Steve’s bare fingers curled around your gloved hand, pulling you across the now white yard into the chaos that was happening around you.

“Your hands are going to get cold.” You warned as Steve reached into the ice, molding a snowball in his already pink fingers.

“Only have one pair of gloves.” He nodded to the knit ones he had insisted you wear before coming outside. He threw the snowball, hitting Robin in the shoulder. Everyone’s attention turned to Steve when they noticed he had joined their snowball fight, which meant your close position to him was being chalked up to collateral damage. You could not help but giggle as the two of you tried to dodge the powdery ammo, Steve using his body to shield you as he gave up fighting back. Eight against two was an unfair game and there was no way they would be claiming victory.

“Truce! Truce!” Steve shouted, sure that he would wake up with a bruise or two in the morning. The opposing team cheered at their victory before quickly turning on each other. Snow clung to Steve’s clothes, his hands and cheeks red from the cold. You quickly pulled him into your arms, uncaring that the wet from the snow would seep through your clothes and bring you a chill. Steve grinned down at you, his eyes sparkling under the bright moon.

“I love you.” It always sounded so simple and pure coming from his lips, never failing to bring a smile to your face. Your dream was still fresh in your mind and although many would criticize you for thinking this so soon in your relationship with Steve, something in your heart was telling you he was the one.

“I love you too.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Steve looked away nervously, his gaze lingering on the crystal snowflakes as they fell, “Remember when I told you about that dream I had? The one with the RV and the kids and…”

“And Nancy? I remember it.” You squeezed his hand in encouragement, showing him that you were listening and he could tell you anything that plagued him.

“Yeah, that one. Well, I have been having a different one lately,” Steve scratched his head and you knew that if you were not holding his other hand, it would find its natural place on his hip, “I am standing in the kitchen, wearing this silly pink apron. The front door opens and there is this pitter patter of small feet- two kids, a girl and boy, they look like the perfect mixture of me and you.”

As you hang on to his every word, his nerves are slowly overtaken by an uncontrollable grin.

“You walk in and you are beautiful as always, but there is something different about you- you’re glowing and you’ve got a swollen belly, baby number three. Every time I wake up from this dream my chest aches with this feeling that I have never felt before and I know we are just starting out and you might just think I’m crazy but my heart has already decided, I don’t want to live a single day without you…” Steve slipped his hand out of yours, reaching into the pocket of his now soaked sweater, “Marry Me?”

Tears stung your eyes, blurring your vision as you glanced down at the ring Steve held. Your hands shook as they reached for his face, bringing his lips down to meet yours.

Steve reluctantly pulled away, resting his forehead against your own, “Is that yes? Or am I totally crazy?”

“Yes, Steve, I’ll marry you.”

[solomontoaster]

Just Leave A Comment Fest

Right, so I thought it would be fun to make a rec list of all the great fics I commented on during @justleaveacommentfest . I didn't have a ton of time to read fic this week, not just because of Ao3 going down, but I did my best! For fics that were multi-chapter I commented on every chapter.

July 10, Old/New:

New (published 7/8/2023, updated 7/11/2023) — Near Misses, Wishes by Underthebluerain | T | The Witcher | Jaskier/Radovid

Even if they don't fully realize it, Jaskier and Radovid's story is one of near misses.

Old (published 2/15/2013) — In the Hay by Hammocker | T | The Witcher | Jasker & Geralt

The night is too cold for Dandelion, but traveling with your closest friend has its perks.

July 11, <2k words:

1,917 words — Equal to Law by cyparissuscried | T | The Terror | Sophia Cracroft/Thomas Hartnell

Tom, she thinks. She could write a whole play with his name alone. He would be embarrassed of it and hide his face in the front of her kirtle at its premiere and she would not make fun, because that is the very reason for writing a play of his name. Tom. Thomas. Tom. Thomas. Tom. Thomas. Tom.

918 words — untitled (ghosts) by grahamgore | T | The Terror | Francis Crozier/James Clark Ross

It's 1854. Francis finally visits the Abbey at Aston Abbots.

July 12, AUs:

Soulmate AU — a grove without a name by stiltonbasket | G | MDZS/The Untamed | Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian

Wei Wuxian was ten years old when he first began wearing mourning for his dead soulmate. Eight years later, he meets Lan Wangji. (Or, the one where a soulmate bond goes silent and shatters during the Sunshot Campaign, but Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were always meant to be.)

Daemon AU — You're the Demon I Know by maely1234 | T | MDZS/The Untamed | Gen, Nie Huaisang

Nie Huaisang has spent nearly a decade working and planning and scheming, his daemon A-Zhi at his side. But while he may have survived Jin Guangyao's plans, dragging his hated enemy down in the process, he hadn't prepared for after. Left floundering without his quest for vengeance guiding him, Nie Huaisang navigates what it is he wants from life. Follows from the second siege of the burial mounds onwards.

July 13, Rarepair/Platonic:

Rarepair (12 fics) — all known effects of time and absence by robokittens | T | The Terror | John Irving/William Malcolm

My Dear Malcolm,— When next you receive post from me it will be in a batch, all post-marked from the Sandwich Islands and all beginning with a longing for your company.

Platonic — Lost Brothers by FormlessVoidbeast | M | Mad Max: Fury Road | Capable & Nux

Capable had brothers. She’d held them in her arms, and whispered their names in their ears over and over in hopes that they would remember who they were. (No War Pup ever remembered who they were by the time they were a War Boy)

July 14, Something New:

New Fandom — Frankenstein

we face the night by hilaryfaye | E | Creature/Elizabeth Lavenza

I no longer claim to know why Victor said that I died that night. I believed once that I knew him, likely better than anyone in the world, but after that night we became strangers to each other in a way that we could not repair. Did he believe he was shielding his father and brother from a greater horror? Was it truly easier to face the notion of me dead, than me lost to him? Better a martyr, perhaps, than a saint defiled.

let them come and tear us free (we are bound eternally) by hilaryfaye | E | Creature/Elizabeth Lavenza/Victor Frankenstein

Victor speaks of me too kindly. I know this. He paints me as a saint because it is easier for him, I think. He imagines that he can make for himself a childhood that was innocent and guiltless, myself an angel found in humility. It is not true, of course.

[candied-cae]

And Who Are We At The End Of The World? - The Party Has a Party

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

Chapter 10/? - - - Read it on AO3

Word Count : 11,746

Summary: Something is clearly going on with Max. But what? Why was she missing? And what is the Party supposed to do now?

More ST Fics

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El came back into herself with a certain lightheadedness. She wobbled a bit as she opened her eyes and readied herself to grip the bedrail for stability, but Jonathan was behind her the second she started swaying with a hand on her shoulder and the other on her back to steady her. She relaxed a little into his hands and brought her own to her upper lip to check for a nosebleed. There’s a tiny drop she wiped away with her finger.

“Hey, you okay?” Jonathan asked her, voice soft with concern.

“Yes.” she nodded,” Yes, just tired.”

Dustin spoke up first,“ So, you saw Eddie?”

“Yes.”

“He was in there, and you talked to him?” he reiterated, pointing at Eddie’s still body.

“Yes.”

“So why- why wasn’t Max… in there?” Lucas asked, sounding somehow more scared than he had been before.

“When I- When I brought them back… it wasn’t the same.”

Nancy was next,“ What does that mean?”

“With Max, I got to her late. I had to put in… more. More feeling, more memory, more work; to get her back. With him. Less. It was easier. I didn’t need the feelings and memories.”

“Why?” Mike muttered.

El’s eyes went distant as she tried to piece it together for everyone,“ Papa said that when Henry kills, he does not just end the life, he absorbs it.”

“Absorbs it?” Lucas’s face went confused as to what that could even mean.

“Takes it. All of it. And keeps it to himself. It becomes a part of him, makes him stronger.”

“So- wait- what does that mean for Max?” Lucas questioned her, glancing back to the hallway door toward Max's room.

“I think he is holding on to her. He absorbed her. But Max is still here, her heart is beating, she is not dead… but, when she did die, he took some of her. And he hasn’t let go. Eddie was just... running low. I only had to keep him from letting go until he made it here to get fixed up.”

“So, Eddie’s fine because he just nearly bled out, and you were right there to catch him, no biggy. But, since Venca marked Max, got her himself, and held you off for a minute after... that means…?” Steve tried to explain it to himself in a way that made sense, and left the end for her to fill in with her own suspicion.

“I do not think we will get her back until Henry doesn’t have her anymore,” El concluded.

“So, it’s really not over.” Robin figured,” We’re really, really still stuck in the middle of all of this-”

Nancy interrupted what was surely going to be Robin spinning herself into a crisis,“ So what happened to him? To Henry/Vecna/One after we…? I mean, really. We hit him with a lot of firepower, but we didn’t see what happened.”

“I do not know. I haven’t tried to find him since… I’m sorry I haven’t-”

“Hey, no. It’s okay.” Jonathan stopped El in her tracks, refusing to let his little sister try to blame herself for anything, and sat down with her to pull her into his arms,” You have been doing more than enough. It’s been way too busy since Lenora. I’d be surprised if you still had any gas in the tank to try. It’s okay. We’ll take it easy for the rest of today and start fresh tomorrow.”

El let her limbs lay boneless at her sides. She wanted to hug him back, but she was tired. Felt worn through. She just closed her eyes and let her face rest against Jonathan’s shoulder.

“Yeah, we will. We can figure this out. You can beat him.” Mike stated.

Robin didn’t put much stock in that,“ How? We had a good plan, this is what happened when we tried it. The whole town was nearly destroyed. What better plan can we come up with besides burning and shooting his physical body at the exact same time El’s hitting him with her… stuff?”

“I don’t know…” El said, still looking guilty.

Which is ridiculous. Because she hasn’t done anything wrong. She’s done so much right it’s unbelievable. They'd all tell her as much. But she won’t really feel better until it’s over.

"Hey, Jonathan’s right. We can keep working on this in the morning.” Steve said.

Jonathan was a little surprised to hear Steve directly say he was right.

Their relationship had always been strained. Steve was a dick until his last year in school, they all agreed on that. But the guy has put in the effort to be better, apologies and Christmas presents, sure. But Jonathan disliked him even after that because he liked Nancy and hated seeing them all over each other. Then, he ended up being the guy who got the girl. Which seemed so out of left field at the time, and the two of them never really took the chance to see each other eye-to-eye after that. They just kind of let the unspoken things go unsaid. Kept their distance.

But, here he was, saying ‘Jonathan’s right’ without any reservations.

Weird. Nice, but weird.

“And the crew from California needs to eat and lay down, I’m sure,” Steve continued,” So why don’t we-”

Then the door opened. They all stilled and silenced out of reflex whenever they were talking about the Upside Down in public. It was a nurse coming to check on Eddie. But when she looked at them, it was with a face that said they were in some kind of trouble.

“Excuse me, what are you kids doing in here?” she asked them in a stern tone.

“Uh, nothing?” Dustin shrugged, though his voice jumped like it had when he tried to lie to the police.

“Visiting,” El said calmly.

“Just talking to the guy.” Robin tried to sound casual.

”Visitation’s still open-” Lucas started.

“And did any of you check in as a visitor here?”

Lucas and Erica were the lone children to raise their hands, visitation stickers on their shirts displayed confidently.

“The two of you signed in for Ms. Mayfield’s room, not for this one.”

They put their hands back down.

The rest of the group realized the mistake they’d made in their rushing to get inside. They’d completely forgotten to actually get permission to be in Max and Eddie’s rooms in the first place. They all stood there silently as they waited for the nurse to decide what became of them.

She let out a sigh and rubbed at the bridge of her nose,” If you all go to the nurse’s station and sign the visitors log for Mr. Munson’s room while I check over him, then we'll call this good. Am I understood?”

They all nodded quickly and shuffled past her out the door as she called back,” And make sure you check in properly, every time you want to visit, for each person you want to visit!”

After a few minutes spent writing their names on the sign-in sheet with the room numbers for Max and Eddie, they were each given their own visitation passes with “237 - Mayfield + 238 - Munson” scrawled onto them. By the time they returned to Eddie’s room, the nurse was tucking the sheets back under his arms after having inspected the site of the stitches.

“Are we all taken care of this time?” she asked them with a raised brow.

They all pulled forward the material of their shirts around the stickers, and she gave an approving nod in turn before heading out of the room. Steve thought for a minute and joined her in the hallway while the rest stayed inside.

“Excuse me,” he called for her.

“Yes?”

“Is there any chance Max could be moved into Eddie’s room? So the kids don’t have to split between being able to spend time with one or the other?” he asked the question carefully, as respectfully as he could.

The nurse's face went pitiful,“ Not until Mr. Munson wakes up and gives the police his statement. The hospital won’t put that little girl in the same room with him until the charges get dropped.”

“But he-”

“I know, ‘he didn’t do it’,” she quoted what he would’ve said back to him,” But it doesn’t matter. If it turned out that he was some maniac who killed a teenage girl, two boys, and put Ms. Mayfield in her current condition? Nobody is going to risk the worst-case scenario where Eddie wakes up in the middle of the night and does something worse to the girl before anyone can stop him. It’s for her safety, even if you don’t think she needs it.”

With a dejected expression, he nodded,“ I understand.”

“Good. By the way, it’d be nice if you kids could try to keep visiting him right now.”

“Hm?”

“His numbers look better now than the last time I checked them. Looks like he’s finally on the up and up, so I suggest you kids keep talking to him, seems to be doing him some good. And he could use the company.”

The last line drew Steve’s attention, and he finally thought it was a fitting moment to ask,“ Is his uncle not…?”

“He wants to be here.” the nurse assured him that Wayne Munson wasn’t some heartless deadbeat who didn’t want to stay with his nephew and explained,” It’s the saddest thing, he’s one of the floor managers at the power plant. And, now that so many people are suddenly skipping town, they’ve barely got the staff to keep the lights on. He just isn’t able to come down to sit with him right now. But we’ve got the number to his trailer, if he ever gets back in it, the number to his hotel, and the number to his office at every nurse's station. If anything happens, we’ll be sure to reach him.”

“Oh, that- that makes sense.”

“Yeah, it’s tough on him. ‘Bout broke my heart when he had to leave yesterday and told us the situation.”

“We’ll be sure to visit.”

“Good. Now scamper on back to the rest of the kids so I can continue making my rounds.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Steve returned to the room in the midst of conversation. In his absence, they started explaining to the Sinclair siblings what happened in California and what they do and don’t know about Vecna. He sat in one of the chairs along the wall, a spot saved for him by Robin. He was trying to listen, but he wasn’t really doing a very good job. He knew it all well enough anyway, so it wasn’t anything important he was missing to worry about, and he honestly didn’t want to hear it all again.

Instead, he just looked at Eddie.

Eddie. Whose uncle was too busy at work to be there for him.

It wasn’t the same as his dad. He knew it wasn’t. It would’ve been insulting to Mr. Munson to compare the two. Wayne seemed like a good guy who really cared about his nephew. But it was a familiar kind of loneliness to look at him.

He must’ve been looking at Eddie for a while because the next thing he noticed was Nancy trying to get his attention.

“-ve… Steve...” Nancy said, leaning forward towards him and waving her hand.

“Yeah?”

“Where’d you go just now, bucko?” Robin asked, slanting over to connect the two of them at the shoulders.

“Just lost in my head.”

“Nothing I need to worry about?”

“No, nothing you need to worry about.” he assured her, pushing back against her before looking back to Nancy,” Sorry, what’d you need?”

“Wanted to know what you talked to the nurse about,” she answered, sitting back in her chair now that he was listening.

“Oh. I asked to see if Max and Eddie could get set up in the same room, so it wouldn’t feel like the kids could only spend time with one of them.”

“And what’d she say?” Lucas was quick to ask, clearly wanting to have that choice taken off his hands.

“They won’t until the charges on him are dropped. Which he needs to wake up to get done.”

“Makes sense.” the boy recognized, not happily, but he understood why there'd be rules like that.

Steve didn’t like to see his face like that, all fallen and tired, so he was quick to add,“ But she did say he looked better.”

“She did?” Dustin pipped up next to him.

“Yeah, said his numbers were up or something. Dunno if it was just because a bunch of people are talking around him, or if it was El popping in to visit him that did it, but she said he was ‘on the up and up’. Hoped he might wake up soon.”

El looked pleased to hear that. She thought it meant she did something right. At least she might’ve helped Eddie wake up sooner. Which she really needed to hear, if she was honest.

“That’s good,” she said a little shyly.

Steve agreed and sent a small smile her way,“ Yeah.”

Nancy glanced down at her watch and sighed,” They said non-family hours only go until four,” she looked back up at them,” It’s almost 3:45.”

A silence came over them. They were nearly out of time for the day, but they haven't gotten to do much yet. Most of them had barely gotten to look at Max, much less try to let her know they were there for her.

“How about we go pull the cars around and let you kids have a minute alone with them before we leave?” Jonathan proposed.

The children all nodded to the suggestion and padded across the hall to Max’s room. Jonathan, Argyle, Nancy, Robin, and Steve started to head for their cars, but Nancy stuck behind a second. She rolled and fluffed up the blankets under Eddie’s hands until the space had closed and he could actually rest his wrists on the cushion, instead of letting them hang limply against the cuffs. Hopefully, he won't bruise as badly like that. Then she followed after Jonathan and Argyle. They all split up in the same grouping that got them there, minus all the rugrats, of course, to bring the cars around to the front doors.

Once Steve had Robin all to himself, however, he didn’t waste any time.

“So? Vickie?” he asked her with knowing eyes, turning the key in the ignition.

She tried to look mad or annoyed, but she couldn't hold back her smile at the other girl’s name.

“Vickie.” She answered curtly, not wanting to just give it all away without a fight.

“Yes… Tell me about it…”, he urged.

“Is this really the time for- Our friends are still- And we don’t even know-”

“Robin, It’s Vickie.” he said seriously,” It’s always going to be the time for this.”

“Well, she… makes good sandwiches…”

“Yes! I know this because I ate one! Give me the juicy stuff! You talked to her for an hour, Rob, tell me about it!”, he demanded of her, reaching over with his arm to jostle her shoulder.

She kept her lips tight together and turned to look out the window.

“Robin!” he yelled, shaking her around again until her hair was flying all over the place and she threw her hands up in defeat.

“Okay, okay! So she’s… really, really great. She’s, like, so sweet, and really funny - more than I thought she was - and we both ramble, but it’s super endearing because I find her rambling really cute, and it just makes me feel safe. So I’m not as embarrassed to ramble in front of her. And she got so many of my jokes, Steve, even the ones that most people would usually just ignore, she laughed! She laughed! And she said she broke up with her boyfriend, and it could mean nothing for me, because… well it might not even matter in the world of Vickie and Robin because she might not be... But they aren’t together anymore, and she talked about him not enjoying Fast Times like it should’ve been her clue that he wasn’t right for her and… and it’s Fast Times, Steve!” she reached over to jerk his shoulder in turn,” Fast Times!”

“Fifty-three minutes and five seconds, I remember it well.”

“I just, I feel like I’m electric. Like a livewire. I’m just buzzing in this seat even remembering one conversation, and that’s ridiculous!” then her face sank,” And- and I’m also terrified. I’m- I am so scared to consider it a real chance.”

“Why?”

“Because, if I actually have a chance with her, then that means I have to actually try. I’ve never gotten this far, Steve. I crush and sit tortured and move on. But, to have someone I might be able to risk it trying for- and- and what if I’m so bad at it and I ruin the one chance I have in a hundred-mile radius and-”

“Stop,” he interrupted her building stress and asserted,“ Robin, you’re the one who got me back up and running. You know how to flirt with girls-”

“No- I know how to make you flirt with girls-” she corrected him.

“So we’re just cutting out the middle man! Easy peasy!”

“But how do I make those words come out of my face in front of her?”

“Well, maybe don’t use my exact words. I work a very different angle than you’ll want to use if you haven’t noticed. But,” he dragged out the word and turned to look at her as they were almost in the waiting lane,” You can put together your own words, 'be yourself' and all that junk, and I’m sure they’re going to be great.”

“But are they going to be good enough?”

Steve shifted the car into park along the front entrance, just behind Argyle.

"Robin.”

“Steve.”

“She likes you!”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do! I know what it looks like when girls like someone! Usually, it’s me, but I can still pick it up when it’s not! She likes you. She’s into you. She wants you to be the one to give her stupid, dumb kisses now!”

Robin’s fingers found a lock of hair from the back of her head to twist and worry with,“ How can you be sure?”

“Do you trust me, Robin?”

“Against my better judgment?”

“Robin-”

“Fine! I do. It might be ill-advised, but, yeah, I trust you. Too much, if anything.”

“Then trust that I know what I’m talking about. Trust me when I say you don’t need to be scared of Vickie. This is a good thing!” he grabbed her shoulders again, and violently shook them to get a smile out of her,” This is great fucking news! We should be excited!”

“Fine, we’re excited.” she pulled on a pitiful excuse of a grin, so he kept shaking her.

“Good! It’s Vickie, Rob!”

“It’s Vickie! It’s-” But then, Steve slapped his hand over her mouth, resulting in a confused glare aimed at him, just a second before a knock came from behind her on the passenger door.

Robin’s eyes widened as she slowly turned her face, still half covered by Steve’s hand, to look out the window at Nancy. She leaned against the car and looked at them both with a quirk in her brow. Robin reached to roll down the window, Steve released her mouth from his grip.

“What’s up?” he asked, bending over the console.

“Should probably figure out the ride situation. Decide who's going with who to get home.” Nancy reasoned as she reigned her expression back in.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Of course.” He nodded and climbed out to stand with her under the front awning, while Robin elected to just lean against her arms on the open windowsill and listen from still inside the car,” Well, you and the Sinclairs are practically neighbors, so whoever has you and Mike should have those two…”

“And it only makes sense to put El and Will back with Jonathan and Argyle...” Nancy led.

“Yeah…” Steve's brain started processing how much room either vehicle really had as he realized where Nancy was talking this,” but-”

“So, if Robin and Dustin ride with them, there’s enough room for the Wheelers and Sinclairs to fill up your car.”

Robin looked at Steve like it was a crime to even consider kicking her out of his car. She was his best friend. But, she had been wanting to squish Steve and Nancy back together, so separating Nancy from her whatever-ship with Jonathan and pairing her with Steve would’ve been the right move for that mission... But she needed more time to freak out about Vickie with him... This was a real conflict of interests for her.

“I can’t get rid of Rob.” Steve said,” We have… important things to discuss.”

“Yeah, debates to be had. Negotiations to resolve. Before the markets close overseas, you know how it is.” Robin said it with practiced nonchalance, like how she imagined a businessman in a movie would lie to his wife so he could head off for an affair.

“What’s going on?” Dustin asked as he appeared with all the others.

“Nancy’s trying to kick us out of Steve’s ride!” Robin threw the other girl under the bus.

“Nancy! Why would you want to do that? I thought we were cool.” Dustin looked so betrayed it was comical.

“I’m just trying to figure out how eleven of us are going to get home with two cars!”

“There’s not-” Dustin paused to look around at their group and take count of how many of them they had gathered.

There was Steve, Nancy, and Robin by his car. Jonathan and Argyle by the van. To his left were Lucas and Erica, and on his right were Mike and Will. Plus himself…

“There’s only ten of us!”

“Did you forget the girl standing behind you?” Robin pointed over his shoulder.

Dustin spun fully around to see El standing next to Mike, tucked right in his blind spot.

“Oh yeah, Eleven’s with us...”

“So yeah, there’s eleven of us,” Nancy repeated.

A small smile came to El’s face despite being nearly forgotten. Something about the sentences being so similar was funny to her ears.

“Alright, so, smart guy, how would you arrange the passengers?” Nancy pressed, her hand on her hip as she set the challenge for him.

Surprisingly, though, Dustin didn’t bother to engage,“ Don’t know, don’t care. But Steve’s my ride.”

“Same here.” Robin insisted with a cheeky grin.

“Mine, too.” Erica stepped in for herself.

“What?” Steve asked, surprised that this was something that had her putting her foot down out of the blue.

“Well, if Erica has to go with Steve, her brother goes with her, and Mike and I live too close to reasonably be with the Byers. So to make the four of us fit, we’d have to move Robin an-”

“Nope. Not happening. I need both of them.” Erica argued,” The rest of you can deal.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Robin was the one to question the girl this time.

“That’s just not a match-up that makes any sense, Erica.” Nancy tried to reason.

“Too bad. That’s not my problem to solve.”

“What is it, small child, that you need me and dingus for this afternoon?” Robin asked.

“I want ice cream,” she said it simply, like it was supposed to have been obvious.

“Cool. I want a vacation. Why are we discussing elusive dreams right now?”

“Because both of you are indebted to me. Sworn to provide one Miss Erica Sinclair with all the ice cream she wants, for life.”

“That was last summer.” Steve tried to correct her.

But Erica dropped her chin to look at them with judgemental regard,“ Do I really need to explain to the two of you what ‘for life’ means?”

“Scoops is gone. The mall fire eradicated it along with the secret Russian Base. Nearest one is over an hour away, kid. No dice.” Steve waved his hands like they’d dispel her unreasonable request.

“Funny thing,” she cocked her head to the side and brought her hand to her chin with her patented sass,” I didn’t make the deal with the establishment of Scoops Ahoy. I made it with Robin Buckley and Steve Harrington, who happened to work there. Do you see what I’m getting at?”

“Are you trying to say that I have to actually sling your ice cream until the day you die, even though I don’t work at the ice cream shop anymore?” Steve asked, shock painting his face with a certain seriousness, like the three of them had actually signed a legally binding contract on the matter that he could be found in contempt of by a jury of his peers.

“Ding ding ding, he gets it now, folks,” she responded with a snide smile.

“Hey, bud.” Robin reached up to his arm and pulled him to lean over so she could loudly whisper to his ear,” Remind me again why we swore our frozen fealty to the trickster god that stands before us?”

“Because we needed someone small to crawl in an air vent, and we couldn’t make Dustin fit,” he responded, same loud whisper for all to hear.

“That one that led to our personal agony and near death at the hands of the secret Russian Military Regime?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Huh. None of that sounds like it’s all that worth it to me in hindsight, you know?”

“No, no. I agree it was not worth it.”

Erica interrupted their game,“ Whether it was a bad deal or not, it's not my problem. You took the arrangement, I gave you a few months of freedom,” she laid her hands over her chest to emphasize,” out of the kindness of my heart, and now I’m getting back to business.”

“You know what I think-” Robin began to oppose her.

“I do not care-”

“I don't think you ‘gave us a few months off’. I think you forgot about the deal until just now, and now you want to take advantage of us.”

“And even if I did? Erica gets busy. Doesn’t matter. You took the deal, I did my part last summer, and now it’s time you two start fulfilling yours again.”

Steve got down to her level, hands on his knees to aim his eyes right into hers. Squinting them in an attempt to dissuade her grip on their honor. But that girl is nothing if not tenacious. She squinted right back at him, unflinching.

"Just. The. Facts." she punctuated the phrase by crossing her arms and daring to lean in closer.

Erica wasn't going to back down.

Steve broke first.

He let his head hang with a deep groan,“ Fine. We can get ice cream,” he stood up straight to set a condition,” But only if you get your parent’s permission to-”

Before he was even done, Erica was at her brother’s side, pestering him for money to use the payphone outside to call home.

“Is that an open invitation, my dude?” Argyle asked from a few feet away,” Because I, myself, would not be one to turn down a tasty treat at the end of this very long journey.”

“Alright,” Steve clapped his hands together to announce,” Anyone who has felt true fear for their lives in the last week is invited, so I guess everyone here qualifies. As long as everyone calls parents. I do not want the cops on my back again because someone thinks their kid’s missing. Again.”

Everyone perks up a bit at the prospect of an ice cream party after everything they’d gone through. Steve was starting to plan with Robin and Jonathan which diner they could corral the kids into for shakes or something when Erica yelled from her spot by the payphone that ‘she heard that’ and ‘their agreement stipulates that they serve Erica, not some waitress’. Which meant Steve needed to go grocery shopping and would be playing host for all of them.

As the kids confirmed with their houses that it was fine to go to Steve’s for the afternoon, it seemed like Arygle’s mind had tumbled back to Steve’s comment about calling parents so nobody thinks their kid is missing. And it hits him that, as far as his mom knows, he just went to work Sunday and never came back home. His eyes suddenly went wide, and he cried out,” Oh shit, dudes, I gots to call my moms! Outta the way littler dudes, outta the way!” as he scrambled between them, shooing them away as he ran to the payphone to cue in his own parent who had no clue her son had wandered off during his shift and ended up states away chasing superpowers and monsters.

“Alright, since we’re all going to the same place, the kids can seat themselves however they want.” Steve figured.

And they thought that’d be the end of it. But these kids… it came down to Dustin, Robin, the Sinclairs, and El. All five were swearing up and down they should get to go with Steve on the grocery run. Well, except for El. She just smiled while Dustin and Lucas argued that they deserved to spend some more time with her now that she’s back in Hawkins. They were originally demanding to get Will in with them too, but he wanted to stay with his brother and get cleaned up a little… and perhaps there was another reason as well. Robin and Erica both refused to budge for them though. They narrowed their eyes at each other, Robin clinging to the door, claiming her stake on the shotgun seat-

When Argyle called from the phone booth, the phone of which, was currently tucked into his chest as he asked them,” Wait a minute, dudes, where are we going after snacks? Like to live in?”

“In the Wheelers’ Basement”, Will beamed. They’d talked it over with Mike on the way back, and part of him was looking forward to sleepovers in there again, even if it was with Jonathan and Argyle, too.

“Oh no,” Nancy said,” Basement’s already taken.”

“What?” Mike asked her.

Nancy began to explain,“ Holly’s friend Marissa-”

“Isn’t Marissa the one who got both of their hair stuck together with gum last year?”

“Well- Yes. Not the point, though, Mike. Her family’s house got demolished in the earthquake. Mom visited them, and, since she knew Marissa’s from the playdates and PTA, invited them to stay with us in the basement instead of at the high school. There’s already a family of four down there.”

“Shit.” Mike looks back at Will and El.

“Can’t you guys stay at a hotel?” Nancy offered.

“We burned through all the cash we had on hand just getting here,” Jonathan answered, hands in his pockets like he considered checking but knew the inventory.

“Shit.” Nancy copied her brother's remark.

“What about Hopper’s cabin?” Mike offered.

Nancy blinked at him like she couldn’t believe he came to that conclusion,“ You mean the cabin we watched a monster stab holes through on the Fourth of July last year?”

“How bad could it be? It’s been nearly a year since then.” he shrugged.

“Considering nobody even bothered to look at it between then and when I saw it a few days ago?” Lucas questioned him back,” It’s pretty bad.”

“Yeah, okay, fine, that might not work,” Mike admitted.

“Well, we can stay at the high school like all the other homeless people, right guys?” Argyle yelled from the phone line.

Steve crossed his arms over his chest,“ You guys can stay with me.”

Jonathan looked at him with shock,“ What?”

“It’s just me at my house. There’s plenty of space, and it’d be way better than sleeping on those cots surrounded by dozens of strangers.”

“Oh, uh. Thanks, man.”

“Can’t let heroes fighting off the end of the world get bad backs.” he shrugged, joking to try and keep everything from getting too serious.

“Thank you, dude!” Argyle called over,” You must be one of the nice guys around here, huh?”

The comment made Steve’s throat constrict. He wasn’t, or at least he didn’t use to be, a nice guy. He always hoped he was getting better at it, but Steve Harrington used to be a menace. But here’s this excitable, weird new guy just smiling at him and calling him a nice guy. Someone who didn’t know who he used to be…

“Don’t mention it. I’ll need to run and get supplies for this Ice Cream Party,” he shot Erica a look,” but you know where my place is, right Jonathan?”

“Uh, yeah. I remember.” he nodded.

“Alright, you guys can head on over, get comfy, take showers, and stuff. If you want. You know, make yourself at home. Um…” He paused and turned back to Robin,” You know I want you as my shotgun passenger, but could you get started showing them around the house? You know it better than Nancy would.”

Robin’s lips curled up a bit as she bared something of a snarl at him before relenting,” Fine. But you’re getting peanut toppings for me!”

She pushed open the car door in surrender, and before any of the boys could argue or try for the passenger seat, Erica slipped into it and locked the door. Wearing a victorious smile as they climbed into the back.

“Any other specific, special requests?” Steve asked.

There were a few. They needed to get vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, but not a Neapolitan because El didn’t like when the flavors mixed. Argyle wanted mint chocolate, which earned him a side eye from Jonathan. Jonathan didn’t want to make his own request, but Argyle said he liked coffee bean if they had any. Aside from getting all their bases covered with the ice cream itself, they wanted pretty much every syrup they could find, whipped cream, cherries, chocolate chips, and the aforementioned chopped peanut topping. Safe to say they wanted to bleed Steve dry and turn his kitchen into a full-service ice cream parlor.

When they were all sufficiently convinced Steve remembered each of the items he was supposed to look for, they got ready to head off.

“I’ll be there a few minutes behind you,” Steve said, removing his house key from his keyring and holding it out for Jonathan.

“Okay,” He answered, carefully taking the little piece of cut metal like it was something fragile that would blow up in his face.

Steve kept surprising him.

Kept being this really, as Argyle put it, nice guy. He could ignore it last summer with everyone being in different groups nearly the whole time. And it was so bad at the end they all split off, but Steve really was different. He’d been changing. And not just with how he treated Jonathan himself. He wasn’t just being agreeable to him since they'd been at odds in the past. He was different to everyone.

“Alright, now all four of you better behave, or I’m breaking out the leashes,” Steve commented as he got into the driver’s seat.

The kids started laughing at him until he gave Dustin the most serious look he could hold together,” You think I won’t do it? Everyone got a pass when the world was ending, you got your twenty-four-hour grace period of Nice Steve. But if I have to yell at you in a grocery store, I will leave you all behind. Got it?”

They all zipped up at that, except for Erica, who nabbed his sunglasses from the cup holder, slipped them over her eyes, and told him to start driving because her parents wanted her and Lucas home by 7:30.

That was a force of nature right there. Jonathan smiled to see El in the back seat, grinning between Dustin and Lucas, seemed to be having fun and perking back up already. He trusted Steve with them. The greatest babysitter in town.

In the other car, Jonathan was back at the wheel so they wouldn’t have to direct Argyle across town, and surprisingly enough, Nancy was in the passenger seat. Argyle was laying down in the back lamenting to Robin about how hard the last few days have been, trapped sitting up in the pot-and-pizza-smelling metal box. She laughed when he started talking about ‘the goddess he met in the Mormon house of horror children’. That’s when she asked about Suzie.

“So, is she?”

“Is she what?” he asked her.

“What Dustin said. Is she hotter than Phoebe Cates, or was that just something he made up?”

Argyle said he couldn’t say anything about the kid, but her sister, oh boy, her sister Eden… Which had Jonathan rolling his eyes. Then Robin looked at him in the mirror for a comment, to which he shrugged and told her “What he said. Minus the Eden part.” Next Robin looked to Will, but he didn’t answer her either, for reasons Jonathan now understands, even if he’s waiting for his brother to tell him himself. Finally, she turned to Mike for someone to confirm or deny the topic of much debate in Hawkins after they heard the love song proof that she was real. But Mike wouldn’t say she was ‘hot’. She was… whatever, pretty maybe, but he wouldn’t say the word hot in regards to the mystery girl in Utah.

“Ugh, you people are useless. You specifically stop by and meet the girl Dustin never stops talking about, and you don’t even bring back a good field report on the situation.”

“Why does it matter so much, Bobbin’ Robin?” Argyle wondered, already assigning her a nickname longer than her own.

“Well, it doesn't, not really.” She admitted,” But when a kid makes claims like ‘she’s a super genius and hotter than Phoebe Cates’? When every time he comes into Family Video he picks up Fast Times and says it again ‘Linda can’t measure up, Suzie’s got it all plus brains’? A girl’s gotta know if it’s something she can start making fun of him for with witness testimony saying he’s being a hyperbolic little shit.”

“Oh, she’s a genius alright, no doubt. We had to tell her this whole thing about Americantendo, and she almost saw through it too, but once she got her attention with her boy's birthday, we set this whole, complex series of events so she could use her dad’s computer and find the exact location where they took my girl, El. It took her no time at all, me and Eden barely lit up by the time we had to keep rollin’ on.”

“Fine, but trust me when I say Steve’s going to be pushing you for an official statement on the matter later, too.” she shrugged,” Speaking of, here we are.”

She announced to them as they pulled into the Harrington driveway. Nancy’s been there before, and Jonathan’s seen the back from the woods, but to the rest of them, this was new territory.

“Oh damn, that boy really does have the space for this epic sleepover,” Argyle commented, gapping at the size of the place.

Jonathan ended up passing the key to Robin. She knows the place, and even though Steve gave it to him, it felt weird being the one who was supposed to unlock the door. She took it and strode up to the front door with everyone trailing behind.

“Alright, the first order of business, I assume, is showers. A few of you - I won't name names-" she looked between herself and Nancy as if to say 'but it's not us'," look a little worse for wear. And we'll need a change of clothes… alright. This way!” she led them on, pointing out the kitchen to the left, living room straight back, and staircase to the second floor on the right, which they climbed.

“Back that way is his parent’s room and double shower, Dingus’s is over here, guest’s at the end of the hall,” she told them while she stole towels from the hallway closet.

And then she threw open the door to Steve’s room and went in like it was nothing. Nancy almost wanted to comment on how caviller it was that she just walked around like it was her own house, her own bedroom. Both Robin and Steve have told her multiple times that there is certainly nothing going on between them, but really, there had to be something. Robin even dove into Steve’s closet and dresser and pulled out clothes for each boy - and grabbed an extra set for El when they got back from the store - without any hesitation.

“I did the best with what I've got, but if it’s not your style then you only need to put up with it for a few hours. We can run a load of laundry for what you’re wearing now.”

“Are you sure? I mean, we’re already using the guy's showers, soap, and clothes, ya know?” Jonathan asked, becoming less and less confident about the whole arrangement as they just kept giving and giving.

“Don’t worry about it. Honestly. Just don’t break anything, and we’ll be golden. Oh, and you all look fine, but if you need anything, his mom’s bathroom is the one with the medicine cabinet. Besides that, you should all be set, and I’ll be getting comfy downstairs if there are any other questions.”

And then, she just trotted off, pulling Nancy along with her. Or at least that's how it felt. Robin didn't actually reach out for Nancy's hand to lead her to the living room, which the girl noticed with an unsure disappointment. Which she didn't really have an explaination for, it wasn't something they'd done a lot, but nevertheless, there was something... Besides that, Robin's energy and manner just swept Nancy away without the need to grab her anyway. She followed her down the stairs and onto the couch until Robin had her feet kicked up and flicked on the television set while they killed time sitting maybe a bit too close.

Will and Mike went into the parents' room. Will said he had a headache, and when they arrived, they both saw how huge the double bathroom was. It wasn’t just two sinks and a big closet, it had a tub with jets, two separate showers, a whole vanity, as well as a massive walk-in closet. Will popped a pill from the cabinet and stalled until Mike turned the corner towards one of the showers before running off to the other. Jonathan initially opened the door across from Steve’s bedroom, but upon seeing Steve’s discarded clothes from that morning on the floor, he immediately turned around.

“Nope. Can’t do it. Too weird. I’m taking the guest.” he told Argyle, pacing down the hallway while his best friend only shrugged and helped himself to the perfectly fine washroom.

At the grocery store, Steve padded along behind the kids pushing a cart they inevitably tried to throw in way more stuff than they agreed on. But Steve kept them to their list. Gave them stern eyes and a hand on his hip when they tried to sway him. And then they tried to question him.

“Why are you grabbing milk? You know that's not what we meant when we voted for whipped cream.” Dustin emphasized the ‘whipped’ part.

“It’s heavy whipping cream, Henderson.” he corrected the boy, turning the carton over so he could read it,” It’s cheaper to buy this and whip it up at home. Tastes way better too.”

“Better's what Erica wants.” the girl said as she set a jar of cherries into the cart.

“Happy we agree,” he told her and pushed them along.

By the end of it, Steve sent the Sinclairs off to grab some bathroom stuff for his new guests. Now wondering if it was the smartest idea to give away all of the travel stuff they’d previously had at the house that same day. Perfect timing, of course, to donate as he tried to welcome a batch of temporary housemates. They joined back up with them at check out with four sets of hairbrushes, soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. Steve told El to approve of their selections, but when she screwed her nose up at each of the soap scents, Lucas took one and ran across the store to bring a different option for her. She liked the lavender one he brought back way more than the others.

When Steve got them all ran back to his house, he had to knock on his own front door to be let in. Robin, of course, was the one to open it to all of them. As he entered the kitchen, the kids followed behind like a row of ducklings after him to unpack the grocery bags. Robin grabbed El from the lineup and showed her to the shower in Steve’s parent's room. She’d originally planned to bring her into the most glamorous bathroom she could offer and hand off the towel and set of clothes so El could properly relax after what has clearly been an incredibly re-traumatizing week. But the girl seemed nervous to head on in, even with her bag of shower supplies and sweet-smelling soap she was excited to use.

“I could hang out over here if you want.” She motioned to the vanity that would leave her in the bathroom, but just around the corner from the showers,” I’ve been looking for a chance to slow down and repaint my nails anyway, and I'm sure Mrs. Harrington has to have some color I’d like in her collection.”

The girl nodded and waited. Robin pulled on a few drawers until she found said collection. It was mostly shades of pink, beige, and a few other pastels that weren't quite what Robin was looking for, but there was a red and maroon that seemed neglected and spiked her interest. Robin grabbed both of them and asked El to pick for her. She chose the maroon. And once Robin got settled, sitting cross-legged on the countertop to start on them, El turned the corner and began her shower.

Fifteen minutes later, Robin was adding the girl's clothes to the washing machine and they both joined everyone else downstairs. It was also the first chance to see all the Steve-ish dressed people together. Robin hadn't done a terrible job in trying to find pieces from Steve's wardrobe that wouldn't make them feel entirely unlike themselves. She left the various horizontally striped polos behind, obviously.

Jonathan was in a long brown shirt that hung a little loosely around his frame - just what happens to a guy with narrower shoulders than what Steve's have stretched the fabric to - and a pair of tan sweatpants that were bunched up around the drawstring. She'd given Argyle the worn, slightly cropped, gray 'Hawkins Phys. Ed.' t-shirt, for her own enjoyment, seeing as he's the only one who has never dealt with Coach Taylor. And, because the guy seemed to like himself some patterns, she carded through Steve's pajama pants until she found a pair with, funnily enough, a green argyle print.

She'd thrown Mike a simple black long-sleeve top and gray sweats with some company's logo on the pant leg, neither of which fit him any kind of right. The kid was so skinny but still so lanky in the limbs. Everything shifted around on him no matter what he did. For Will, she assigned a red sweatshirt - similar to the yellow one that was presumably still in the boat on Lover's Lake - which she paired with grey sweatpants. He was also a little small for Steve's clothes, but he filled them out more than Mike did, to his credit.

Finally, there was El. She was harder to pick out for. Since she clearly liked girlier things and Steve's father had previously convinced him that if he even looked at purple for too long, they'd both explode. But, there was a sweatshirt that matched the red one she threw at Will, and it was this pretty soft blue color that El seemed to like when Robin handed it over, along with a pair of dark blue flannel pajama pants. All in all, she looked downright cozy, all wrapped up in them, the way they tried to swallow her smaller frame.

All the younger kiddos were sitting on stools along the island in the kitchen ‘to get the proper serving experience, handmade right before their eyes’, while Steve was moving a hand mixer through a thickening bowl of whipped cream.

“Alright, now that my partner has joined us, please, let’s all be seated and make our orders,” he told them, calling forward Nancy, Jonathan, and Argyle to sit with the pack of freshmen plus Erica while Robin joined him on the other side.

“Wow, nine customers, Steve. You sure let the line back up while I was on break.” she chided him, nabbing an apron off the counter, throwing it on over her clothes, and tying it tight around her waist.

“Oh, absolutely. I was not dealing with them alone. You kidding me? Look at him and tell me you'd want to face the wrath of this kid’s fury without any backup.” Steve said, pointing at Will with his scoop, a kid who couldn’t look any kinder at that moment.

“You’re right, a real wild child in that one. Alright, let’s get this show on the road.”

And they performed a show with their service, indeed. Snarky commentary and groan-worthy pizazz. Really milking the moment as their private, stand-up comedy hour. Steve was in charge of scooping all the flavors and plopping on the whipped cream, while Robin dealt with artistically styling all the syrups and toppings.

Kids were helped first, of course.

El asked for strawberry ice cream, a big dollop of fresh whipped cream, and a strawberry syrup drizzle with rainbow sprinkles. Will got classic vanilla but went for both chocolate and caramel syrup on the whipped cream. Then he paused, looked at El’s, and went a little shy as he asked for some sprinkles, too. Robin was more than happy to oblige. Mike had a scoop of vanilla and one of chocolate, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and a cherry.

And Dustin was practically going for a chocolate overdose. Chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips, peanuts, wanted Steve to re-whip the cream with chocolate sauce, then drizzled chocolate sauce on top. He even took a bite of the coffee ice cream because it looked good, but decided he didn’t like it right after and asked for more chocolate chips to recover from the bitter surprise. Lucas wanted a bowl of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, with chocolate and strawberry sauce, and whipped cream. And, since Steve made some for Dustin, he wanted some chocolate whipped cream too. But Steve didn't want to make any more, so he dared Lucas to try the dreaded coffee bean and if he accepted a scoop he'd make it. Turned out the kid was stronger than Dustin and ended up finding out he does like the flavor. Earning himself that magical chocolate whipped cream.

And Erica asked for pretty much everything, as one would expect. She ended up with small scoops of each flavor, minus the coffee bean, strawberry syrup on the strawberry ice cream, caramel on the vanilla, and chocolate on both the chocolate and the mint. Then, she had them throw a healthy pile of whipped cream on top with peanuts, chocolate chips, three cherries, and so many sprinkles they cut her off.

Then they turned to the older ones.

Nancy had herself some chocolate and some coffee scoops in her bowl, topped with whipped cream with chocolate drizzle and a cherry. Jonathan tried to serve himself, but Steve and Robin insisted they were going to see the event through for everyone at that point. So he got a few scoops of coffee ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate syrup, even if it felt silly to order from them. Argyle got his bowl of minty chocolate chip absolutely swimming in chocolate syrup with a big smile across his face. Making him the only ‘customer’ who didn’t want whipped cream on his ice cream, then he later asked for some on the side, which he ate on its own.

And finally, Robin and Steve left behind their specific jobs and simply served each other, so it wouldn’t feel like they were the only ones who had to make their own bowls.

Robin requested vanilla with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, peanuts, chocolate chips, and a cherry. Then Steve threw on a few sprinkles without her asking, just for his amusement. And minutes later, Steve was handed his order of vanilla, chocolate, and coffee bean with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Robin also threw down some sprinkles for him, since he felt the need to do so for hers.

When all was said and done, everyone had a bowl they were practically licking clean, and they each looked a lot less beaten down by the week they had seen. Obviously, some sweets don’t make it all okay. Nothing could make it all okay. But it helped remind them they weren’t so alone in it. Reminded them that life didn't have to completely suck in the moments between horrors.

“Is this what you do after every bad guy?” Argyle had asked, scooping a spoonful of just whipped cream and chocolate syrup into his mouth,” Ice cream slumber parties?”

“Not a slumber party,” Nancy conflicted,” And not really. This is the first post-Upside-Down-crisis-get-together we've had.”

“You're kidding. So you’re telling me you’re all saving the world all the time, and you guys never have any fun after?”

“This is just the fourth thing in three years we’ve dealt with, and we’re still not even sure how set the ‘save the world’ part is this time,” Nancy corrected Argyle's presumptuous optimism,“ But yeah, we usually just kinda go back to business as usual.”

“Weird.”

“How is that weird?” Jonathan asked him.

“Well, I mean, I’ve only been in one of these things, but I already feel like I’ve been bonded to all of you dudes for life. Even the ones I’m just meeting now. I think, if you’re doing all of this and you can’t even talk about it, you should at least get a party at the end of it.”

“Well, usually it’s busy after,” Jonathan explained.

“Taking down labs,” Nancy remembered.

“Essays,” Steve thought.

“Getting new jobs,” Robin added.

“School Dance,” Lucas said.

“Doctors,” Will mentioned, to which El nodded.

“This is the first time the whole town has shut down with us.” Jonathan shrugged.

“Alright. I’m just saying, new rule, you gotta celebrate after.”

“Hopefully, once we figure out what happened this time and fix it, we won’t need another after,” Steve mentioned.

But there was something clawing at Nancy about Argyle. About how he was just so... fine. With this. With all of this bullshit.

“How-" she started," How are you handling all of this so well?”

“Oh, do not get me wrong, I was truly not handling it earlier," Argyle assured her, which seemed true enough if the other three boys' nods were any hint.

"Particularly when it started with the guns and the dead guy and the burying him in the dessert part. Oooh, your boy Argyle was not making much peace with that. But now I’m chilling, meeting new people, my gorgeous locks softer than they’ve ever been. I mean, you do not skimp on the hair care, my guy.” he said particularly towards Steve,” Fabergé Organics? You’re kidding me. And I was served ice cream in this mini-mansion? I feel like I’m receiving Indiana’s greeting to a king right now, dudes. All in all, Argyle’s calling this weekend a win.”

“Well, congratulations Argyle.” Robin clapped for him and his happily well-off journey into their reality.

They continued to chat amongst themselves. Argyle had more questions about the previous adventures he missed out on. The other three wanted more details on what happened in Hawkins as far as they knew. They asked more about the trip from California. Steve, indeed, asked if any of them would go on the record for ‘Suzie Bingham is hotter than Phoebe Cates’, just like Robin knew he would. And once more, no one would back up Dustin’s claim except the boy himself.

"You all have shit taste in women!" he declared as he jumped to stand on the couch.

"She's just a girl, Dustin." Steve tried to dissuade him," Sit down."

But the boy insisted," She's a woman! And the best woman any of you people know!" he yelled with a sweeping arm over the rest of the room.

And, thus began The Great Lady Debate of '86.

Mike and Lucas stood up to join Dustin's level and defend their girlfriends' honor. Jonathan threw in his two cents about Nancy being pretty great but wasn't going to go toe-to-toe with children over the matter. Steve was less mature. Bounded up on the recliner so he could tower back over the boys and tell them how much cooler his best friend was than any of their weak pursuits of romance. It got a little heated there for a bit. Entertaining enough for the rest of the room to watch instead of depressing news stories.

When they all winded down, they thought it'd be a good time for a movie. Get to use the tv, but ignore the rest of the world instead of stew in it. Steve had a couple of VHS tapes, one of which they all considered a staple for a group like theirs. The Goonies. It had only just come out the year before, but it was one of the last things the kids saw together before Will and El moved away, so they liked rewatching it.

And interestingly enough, none of the freshly showered Cali kids ended up changing back into their own clothes when the dryer was done with them. They all just stayed mounded up together under layers of blankets with bowls of popcorn until the movie was over.

Then, the night came to 7:15.

And they were reminded it was about time to start running everyone back home. Mike ran off to change into his stuff about then while everyone else pulled their shoes back on. By the time they had the living room cleaned up, bowls and cups were waiting in the sink, and trash was thrown away... it was time to split off.

They did the math again, and for Steve to get the Sinclairs, Wheelers, Dustin, and Robin all back to their parents… It was going to take two trips. He took the sets of siblings first. Seeing as Claudia already liked him and El asked Robin to paint her nails like she had. Except she wanted a pretty light blue color, like the sweatshirt she had on.

As they were about to load the car, Dustin made a fit about everyone having a walkie-talkie. It ended with Lucas handing off his walkie to Steve and Dustin giving his to Robin. They both said they'd use their older models at home until the Radio Shake reopened and Dustin could make each person keep one on them 24/7. They agreed to his conditions and set out on getting everyone they could, back to their families for the night.

By the time he was returning to the Harrington House, he entered the door to the phone ringing. Jonathan and Argyle had already walked towards it to pick it up but stopped as Steve came in. Assuming he'd do so himself. But then he just froze. Looked at it and knew it would be his parents on the line. And given that he didn’t want to even think about talking to them, he personally would have liked to let it keep ringing until it rolled over to voicemail.

But he had guests. Guests, who looked at him like they couldn't understand why he wasn't rushing forward to pick it up. And then, the unexpected happens. The closest guest picks up the phone to save him from missing the call. The closest being... Argyle.

“Helllllo, this is-” he paused, a realization coming to his face as he pulled the phone away from his mouth to ask,“ Hey dude, what’s your name again?”

“You never picked up his name?” Jonathan asked him in response,” Where did you tell your mom you were staying?”

“With some guy you knew. It was enough for her.” he shrugged before turning back to the man at the front door.

“Steve Harrington,” he told him.

Argyle nodded and continued to speak into the phone,“ This is Steve Harrington’s new friend, Argyle, picking up the phone for him. Can I ask who’s ringing the line this time of night?”

“It’s his mother,” she told him.

“Oh, of course, Mrs. Harrington. Let me go grab your boy for you.” he smiled as he spoke to her and then told Steve separately,“ Steve, it’s your mom.”

“Yeah, I figured. Thanks,” he said as he finally willed himself to come forward and speak to her. Not like he could get out of it at that point.

“Here he is, have a good one,” Argyle added before handing over the receiver.

“Hi, Mom,” he said as the boys returned to the living room to watch the movie they'd popped in after everyone left with the other two.

“Who was that?” she asked quickly.

“Uh, his name’s Argyle,” Steve answered.

“Like the pattern?” his mother's voice questioned. She clearly thought it was an odd name, but wouldn’t say it directly herself.

'It's not polite to judge, but…' he could practically hear her whisper that overused line of hers.

“I guess?" he huffed, honestly working himself up more than was necessary considering she hadn't actually said it," I don’t really know him that well yet, haven't asked.”

“So why is he at the house?”

“He’s a friend of Jonathan’s. They needed a place to stay after the earthquake, so I invited them to crash over here in the meantime.”

“Them? How many of them are there?”

“It’s just Argyle and the Byers. Jonathan, Will, and Jane?”

“Quite a few people to have over on such short notice, Steve,” she commented. Again, it was evident in her voice that she had some opinion about the choice, but she wouldn’t just say it.

“Is it a problem? I figured, since I’m the only one here anyway, it’s better than sending four kids to sleep in the high school gymnasium. With a bunch of strangers, on their own, while their parents are out of town.” he paused between each point to emphasize them, painting a clear picture of exactly why it is that he was not going to be kicking them to the curb.

“No, no, it’s fine,” she assured.

“Okay.”

“Well, your mother tried to call you back hours ago, you know.”

“Yeah, I mentioned in my voicemail that I was heading out. The city has a relief center running out of the high school, so a few of us dropped off donations and volunteered for a bit. I’ve been busy.”

“That’s nice of you, but I wanted to check in.”

“And? What do you want to know?”

She didn't answer quickly, seemed like she only really planned so far so to get him on the phone and let him know she'd been waiting,“ Well, what’s going on down there?”

“There was an earthquake. People got hurt. People are freaking out. Those of us that know each other are banding together to keep ourselves afloat. That’s about it, Mom. It’s only been two days since things stepped out of the Hawkins norm.”

“And everything’s fine at the house?”

“Yes. Just a few things got knocked over, but nothing broke, and everything’s otherwise running smoothly over here.”

“Even the pool? No cracks in the patio? And you know those lights have flickered ever since you had that party a few years back. It wouldn’t surprise me if they just went out completely this time.”

It felt like ice water poured down his back.

“I haven’t been out back yet.” He tried to excuse,” But I’m sure the pool is fine.”

“Will you check for me?” she asked anyway.

Steve bit back the thing inside him that hated even drawing the curtains to look at it and told her,“ Fine, give me a minute.”

He set the phone on the table so it wouldn’t hang up and walked through the living room and past the guests out the back door. Jonathan tensed a little as he did, catching a glimpse of what was back there. One of the parts of the first adventure they didn’t mention in much detail to Argyle. Steve walked around the pool’s edge, checking the poured cement, the chairs, and the pool house.

Even turned on the lights.

Watched them fizzle and flicker as they came on.

Fought the urge to run back inside as he saw it.

But they were fine. He was fine. The whole thing was fine. Certifiably fine.

Fine, fine, fine. Fine enough to report to mom and get her off the phone.

He turned the lights off and went back in to report his findings,“ Everything’s fine.”

“Alright then. And you’re in for the night?”

“Yeah, I’m just going make sure everyone gets settled, and I’ll probably make a grocery run in the morning.”

“Okay. I know your father and I have already been away for a while, but there’s a lot happening at the main office that he’s needed here for. So we probably won’t be headed back that way for a bit longer.”

“Understood.”

“He’s already on his way to a dinner party, otherwise he’d say hi.”

Yeah right. He’d say ‘hi’. Steve doubted that.

“It’s fine.”

“I’ll be headed off the join him after I freshen up, but he might call when we both get back tonight.”

“Okay.”

“Anyway, you’ll keep things in order, right? Even if you have friends over every night? You'll make sure the house stays cleaned up and nothing gets ruined? And you’ll keep up your job-”

“Yes,” he said, hoping it’d get her to wrap up quickly.

“Good, your father wouldn’t want you slacking off and getting fired from that job, the one over there at… at…”

“At Family Video?” he gave.

“That’s the one.”

“I’ll keep everything together back here. Was there anything else?”

“That’s all dear, have a good night. Oh, and try not to run up the water bill too bad, even with five kids in the house.”

“Do my best. Have fun.”

He put the phone back down and wanted to brace himself against the hall table, try and breathe out all the feelings that always bubbled up when he spoke to his parents. The way they made him feel like he was expected to mess up, the way they made him feel like they didn’t care what he did until it reflected on them, the way they made him feel like he was doomed to be stuck in place and he was never going to-

Argyle’s voice called from the couch,“ Dude! You didn’t mention you have a pool! We have to-”

“Slow down, it’s March. In Indiana.” Steve argued,” That water’s nearly freezing.”

“Isn’t your pool heated?” Jonathan questioned, not particularly jumping at the chance to get in, but curious that Steve wasn’t.

“Well, yeah, but I haven’t cleaned it in a while. It’d be super gross right now. And you guys weren’t even able to pack. You trying to tell me you all happen to have swimsuits to put on?”

“I know we don’t know each other well yet, Stevester, but don’t you ever assume I don’t bring a pair of board shorts with me everywhere. I have two in my van, right now, for this exact circumstance I could find myself in.”

“Okay, um, impressive prepared-ness,” Steve nodded, but still tried to dodge the suggestion,” but you’re still two kiddos down, and I am not cleaning that pool right now. Plus, it’s just water, it’s not that fun.”

But then, El spoke up,“ I’d want to swim.”

And Steve didn’t know what to say.

“I’ve never been... for fun,” she added, averting her gaze a little. Remembering all the times she was set up in sensory deprivation tanks or the one time in the kiddie pool, and yet had never been able to actually swim.

And… fuck.

Steve can’t say no.

Can’t even think of it.

Not when it’s El.

“Okay. Okay, We can swim. But not tonight, you guys need to buy swim gear, and I need to get some more pool cleaner and chlorine before anyone’s getting in.”

“But we’ll get to swim?” she asked, turning her eyes back to look in his.

“You’ll get to swim. Scout’s honor, kid.”

She smiled in her place on the couch. Cuddled in close to Will as her eyes went weary. It looked like it was time for everyone to get ready for bed.

“Well, I’m ready to sleep. Let’s get you all loaded up with toiletries and pillows. I don’t mind where you nod off, you can stay piled up on the couch, take the guest room, steal the master for all I care. Knock if you need anything. Besides that, treat the castle like it’s yours.”

They ended up liking the idea of turning the living room couch into their setup. So, Steve retrieved a bunch of pillows for them so they could really make themselves comfortable. They had practically nested themselves together under all the blankets and cushions. And he went upstairs for his own bed.

And honestly, he was relieved. Just a little relieved that he didn’t have to go to sleep in that house alone. He was still in his room alone, but he didn’t feel so isolated. So empty. There were people just down a flight of stairs. Sharing his house with him.

Then he remembered.

Remembered that some people were alone that night.

Max and Eddie.

His relief was short-lived.

[fireflywitch]

ten lines, ten people (rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. if you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.)

thank u for the tags! @etchedstars @itsromeowrites @perexcri

10. switching places

Zoro woke up.

9. a (home) by any other surname 

A small, careless whimper carried through the drafty halls of the boat, made louder by the great emptiness of the boat as it rocked back and forth, made eerier by the emptiness and inky blackness of the boat as it rocked back and forth on a sea that had nearly taken two more sacrifices—two days?

8. on wanting and the color blue 

When Nami first saw her, she thought, oh my god, step on me , before shaking her head and attempting to make sense of what was in front of her ( who was in front of her) (focus, Nami, focus ).

7. this timeline’s broken and we have to fix it 

The blindingly white world gripped Four tightly, fear and nausea nearly breaking him in half, and it didn’t matter if he held on tightly to the sweaty hand embracing his own or not, because his fate had already brought him crashing into the earth.

6. will didn’t get lost in the woods 

Things Steve Harrington expected when he drove over to Jonathan Byers’ house to issue his best attempt at an apology: that it would probably be awkward, definitely be over quickly, and hopefully do something about the gnawing, guilty feeling in his stomach.

5. november and july 

Max hadn’t been prepared for the cold.

4. and everything but sleep

It started when Mike was attempting to drown himself in his bathtub, which, okay, sounded worse than what it was, but it was difficult to understate the deep comfort of folding himself into a ball, submerged under lukewarm water and heavy, cloying lavender.

3. i think there is someone (you love) 

The loose stitch balanced precariously on its needle, slightly too wide—or maybe the one before it was too tight—and El squinted as she lifted it with her right hand and transferred it onto the left.

2. nothing is certain except 

Heaving breaths shuddered through his rib cage as he ran, ducking behind stone walls and leaping across perilously-placed topiaries, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds to see if he’d evaded his would-be captor—another day in the life, really, of being one of Whitebeard’s Commanders, but this particular man would not leave him alone.

1. so (so sorry) central rain 

Something was wrong.

tags (w/ no obligation ofc) @willow-lark @toystoryfan @portgas-d-aroace (and anyone else who wants to)

[f1]

Sargeant Piastri and De Vries find reasons to be optimistic despite all three rookies dropping out in Q1 in Bahrain

Bahrain held a thrilling qualifying session under the lights, but none of the three rookies on the F1 grid were thrilled with their own results as Oscar Piastri, Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant were all eliminated in Q1. They all explained why, after Max Verstappen took pole for the season opener. Williams’ Sargeant fared best out of the three rookies with P16. He set the exact same times McLaren's Lando Norris, but Norris got through to Q2 having set his time first. Sargeant was frustrated but said there was plenty to be optimistic about after his first F1 qualifying effort. READ MORE: Verstappen beats Perez to pole for 2023 opener in Bahrain GP qualifying thriller “Not good enough,” said the American. “That was definitely frustrating to just miss out on it like that but to be honest I feel like I shouldn’t have put us in that position, I had a car that should have brought me to Q2 – I just made a little mistake in Sector 1 that cost us today. “But I think I’ve laid a good foundation for us to build off of, the pace is there so we just need to start minimising those mistakes and capitalising. Obviously race running is different to quali but from the long runs I’ve done I feel quite comfortable. We just have to wait and see – focus on getting off the line clean first and go from there,” he said. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences ‘I made too many mistakes’ – Piastri holds his hands up after tricky first F1 qualifying session McLaren’s Piastri was 18th on the board, nearly half a second behind Sargeant, the Australian pointing to a Q1 red flag – caused by debris from Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari – as a factor that had caused his drop-out, saying: “I made too many mistakes, especially on that second lap [in Q1]. I think the red flag didn’t help us and kind of meant we had one attempt, but yeah, just too many mistakes on my side.” VISOR CAM: Check out some spectacular driver's eye footage from Fernando Alonso in Bahrain Like Sargeant, the Australian was optimistic about Sunday’s race. Although he said McLaren’s straight-line speed might not be up to par, he said their race pace could help them. “Yeah I think we can try to make up some spots tomorrow, that will be the plan, definitely – we’ll see how we go. I think our straight-line speed is probably not our strongest point. For me, it’ll be a good opportunity to get back into the swing of racing. It’ll be my first race for quite some time, so I’ll make the most of it. “I’m excited. I wish today had gone a bit better and a bit higher up but tomorrow’s a new day and I think we can make up a few positions.” This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences Nyck de Vries hoping AlphaTauri’s race pace is better after qualifying P20 in Bahrain In P19 was Nyck de Vries, AlphaTauri’s 'rookie' having made a cameo for Williams in last year’s Italian Grand Prix. In his first Saturday qualifying session for the Red Bull sister team, De Vries ended up just 0.020s off Piastri, and ahead of former AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – who rounds out the grid having had a lap time deleted. TECH TALK: F1's development race is on in Bahrain “Yeah, obviously the last run was going to be crucial, and sadly yes the start of the lap I lost the rears [at the] exit of Turn 1, exit Turn 2, and then exit of Turn 8, so I felt like they weren’t quite where I wanted them to be – but it is the way it is. “I think anyway our long run pace seemed slightly better than our short run pace yesterday but let’s find out tomorrow. The midfield is so tight I think it can swing round very quickly,” said the Dutchman on Saturday night. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[acollectionofficsandshit]

Sneak Peek! Three of Us: Chapter 10

Max Verstappen x Reader (Single Dad AU)

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 + Chapter 9

Masterlist

Luck seems to be on his side, for once in the entirety of this entire fucking day, because he makes it into the elevator and up to floor that both your and his hotel rooms, the latter of which has now become Kaia’s room, which is to say the room the three of you have slept in together every night since Tuesday. 

Thanks wholly to the fact that you’ve been given oversight privileges when it comes to booking the accommodations, you’ve somehow managed to snag two rooms on a floor that isn’t shared with anyone else on the team, Max doesn’t have any idea how that had even been possible or how you’d pulled it off without catching the attention of Horner or Daniel.

But at this point, after nearly three months living and working with you all day, day, he’s come to learn that it is not for him to ask why or how but to merely be grateful for what you’ve accomplished.

It’s absolutely fucking ridiculous that the inside of his head is just on a perpetual loop of shit like this, of his thoughts wandering off in the very midst of things because they’d evidently rather spend their time gathering around you, curling up in your lap and brushing against your ankles like over friendly, slightly aggressive stray cats, that he can’t for the life of him seem to wrangle back into some semblance of order.

There had been a time before when he would have been infinitely more embarrassed about the current state of affairs inside his head but Max has evolved past such things in recent weeks, not because he’d intended to, rather because he’d not really been given much of a say in the matter. 

It was more ‘keep up or fall permanently behind’ kind of situation that he hadn’t really been allowed to consider for more than a second before his brain, his daughter and the involuntary response he’d quickly ascertained that every square inch of his body apparently had to yours, make the decision for him.

So, the way he sees it, however this is about to unfold, he is not solely responsible and therefore cannot be held entirely to blame, just as the fault for whatever happens next is not his alone to bear. 

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

Max had considered countless eventualities for what might be waiting for him on the other side of that hotel room door, just as he’d gone over an infinite number of outcomes, and had waded his way through an endless sea of possibilities of how the scene would unfold but the lot of them, down to the scantest traces of how he should act and every last iota of any of the plans he’d sketched out, abandon him the very instant he pulls the key card from his wallet and lets himself in to the room.

Because sure, he’d expected that you would be there waiting for him since he’d asked it of you, he knew you better then to think you’d ever have read his messages and opted to ignore the need that had been aggressively outlined by his words but, all the same, Max hadn’t really let himself trust implicitly that his maelstrom of emotions would have convinced you to be here when he opened the door.

More than that, he’d not let himself actually truly hope that even if you did show up, you would have anything even akin to the kind of expression that presently graces your features because this, the way you’re looking at him right now isn’t something that Max and his absolute fucking side show circus act of a brain would have ever been capable of conceiving, not in a million fucking years.

He lets everything but what is held suspended in this moment in time and what lies within the confines of this room and the boundary line composed of its four walls, fall to the wayside, no longer of any real importance now that what he’s wanted, who he has wanted, for years longer than he cares to admit to, is his for the taking. Max, who has kept it together this far out of sheer power of will, feels when the final ties that bind him to some sense of moderation start to go, pulling taut in a last-ditch effort to hold out and ensure he remains tethered to a modicum of restraint. 

But he’s over it, he’s done with the era of self-control, of trying to curb his appetite for less than wholesome things that happened in the dark, where lust is king and all those base desires that plague him every time you’re within arm’s reach, so he pulls on the loose ends of the rope and undoes every last remaining knot that had tethered him to this side of the line of demarcation, the boundary between having salacious desires, wanting to do obscene things to one another, and actually giving in to those desires, and making those obscene fantasies into a reality. 

Because the heat in your eyes and that glimmer of hope to your every movement, that he recognizes on sight and he can read the signs in you, in the planes of your body, in the tension to your limbs, and in the tightly coiled anticipation that sits poised and primed to strike in every cord of muscle, down to the last inch of sinew, because it’s liking looking in a reflection, down to the hunger and need, the appetite for more at long fucking last and absolute, unadulterated certainty that is held in your entire being is the companion to his own. 

And this, this is what proves to be his undoing. 

Max launches himself forward, unable to tell who it had actually been that had moved first but not giving a damn about it either because he knows that it doesn’t even fucking matter, nothing really does at all, not now that the two of you have put life as you’d known it, as it was before, where it belongs- in the past, behind you- to make room for the way the world should have always been.

You both finally yield to the gravitational pull that’s kept you firmly in each other’s orbit from the very first day you met, after what has felt like an eternity of being on this very collision course and fighting it every waking moment. 

“It’s about fucking time,” Max says in the heartbeat before you come crashing together, giving you a savage grin that you return without a second’s hesitation. 

“Took you long enough,” you retort, carrying that same smile over into the first brush of your lips against his, grinning into the kiss as you throw your arms around his neck, one of his hands finding the nape of your neck and the other pressing flush to the curve at the small of your back, molding your body to his with an ease that only serves to further confirm what he’d already know to be the truth 

Whatever this is and whatever you are to each other, regardless of wherever it is that you both end up or how this all works out in the end, there’s no undoing the fact that you’d been meant to have the other, you’d been made for this- to belong to one another for at least a time if it’s not destined to last forever.

“I don’t know what you were waiting for,” you whisper, the words filling the almost imperceptible distance that separates his face from yours. 

“The same thing I always am,” Max confesses on your shared breath, too far gone to bother to try and stop the word before it can do any inevitable damage, beyond caring how it’ll sound when it’s said aloud-

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

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[aspoonfuloffiction]

Edwina was a bitch to Kate for no reason. Kate gave up everything for Edwina and she was ungrateful and horrible to her because Kate “selfishly” fell in love. You can make all the excuses doesn’t change the fact that Edwina was an entitled child.

So I stared at this one for a bit because I really wasn’t going to do these as much anymore but hmm ok fine lets unpack this:

To start: its 2022 we do not call women bitches to demean them. Fictional or not-its trite, its gross and its rooted is years of historical misogyny

When was Edwina ungrateful? All Edwina said is that she didn’t ask for Kate to martyr herself. Which is true she didn’t. Where is this energy for Daphne saying that the Bridgerton siblings didn’t ask for Anthony to put up all his walls? That they pity him?

Edwina never asked Kate to fall on the sword. If Kate had been honest at any point so as to not leave Edwina to be humiliated at the altar, to an extent perhaps she’d still be hurt but not heart broken that her sister could betray her like that.

And what is so horrible about what Edwina said or did? The half sister comment? The I’m kinder than you comment? Edwina just ran out of her wedding in from of the literal Queen of England because she realized her sister was in love with the man she was 30 seconds from marrying. She wasn’t filtering her feelings and she was upset. And why should she? Why can’t we let female characters be angry?

Sidebar: I’ve noticed this thing people do where they blame Edwina’s mistakes as a character on Edwina and Kate’s on the writers…they were written by the same people. So which is it?

And yes Edwina doesn’t apologize, because its been maybe than 2 weeks max since the wedding by episode 8. Edwina held a 3 day grudge then her sister nearly died and she pushed her hurt aside and sent Kate off to be with Anthony. At two weeks that is all she can manage. Which is frankly more than I think most people can manage. Maybe one day she will apologize I think Edwina as she is written would but not in the time line of this season

Also no one is pissed at Anthony for not apologizing. To Kate or Edwina. Arguably Kate gets apology orgasms but this man was really ready to drag Edwina into his mental break down spiral with zero care or concern for her feelings. To the point where he asks her to go through with the marriage to save his family (her family could just skip town back home remember) he calls Kate a thorn easily removed (far worse than any half sister comment IMO) and then says we could grow closer when Kate’s gone-knowing full well that is a lie. As per his own admittance of snapped threads. He expected Edwina to save them all and couldn’t even grant her the decency of honesty.

And the sad thing is Edwina would have done it, accepted this arrangement as her lot in life if she she didn’t see the King and Queen and decide this wasn’t enough for her.

Who is calling Kate selfish for falling in love? Not me for sure. Kate’s feelings are just as valid as Edwina’s. Kate makes significant mistakes not trusting her sister with her own life chief amongst them but falling in love is not one. However falling in love is not an excuse for an illicit emotional affair. Kate could have just told the truth.

So no I do not think Edwina is an entitled child. Her contribution to this mess was having rose tinted glasses on and overly romanticizing her life because that is what she had been encouraged to do her whole life. (Something I’m just now recognizing—How Gregory Bridgerton of you Edwina. Seriously if you like book!Gregory how do you rag on Edwina for doing the same)

Also at no point does Edwina ever feel entitled to anything. She considers the first failed proposal a personal shortcoming. She keeps seeing Anthony’s lack of reciprocity as something is wrong with her. The only thing she remotely felt she was owed was the truth. Which is a basic kindness

At the end of the day the triangle was no one’s fault. All three parties were conforming to society and all three parties could have done things differently to avoid the situation but to hang the whole thing on Edwina when the story explicitly says otherwise is purposely ignoring the plot to fit your narrative.

And to circle back again. Do not call women bitches its gross.

[the-bau-quinjet]

what about doing a steve x reader? maybe where the reader gets hurt during a mission by hydra?? just an idea!! xx

He’s Like a Brother to Me

Summary: Pretending to be a couple for a mission is normal, so why is your Captain so upset?

Warnings: being injured on a mission, kissing, a swear word or two

Word Count: 2202

a/n: My first request!! To the anon that requested this, thank you! I hope you like it :) Sorry if it's not angsty enough! I really tried, but once I got this idea in my head I ran with it. 

Also! I didn't do my normal tag list since y'all requested to be tagged when I was only writing Criminal Minds fics. Just lmk if you want to be tagged in marvel or CM or both!

"The mission is simple. You two will go to the gala as newly weds, pretend to be interested in more than the charitable events of the evening, figure out the chain of command for the weapons dealing, and put a stop to the weapons dealing assholes." Tony laid out the plan as if nothing could go wrong.

You turned to the super soldier on your left, relieved to find a matching grimace on his face.

"We have to pretend to be a couple?" You asked, turning back to Tony.

"Yes. The invites we secured are for Mr. and Mrs. Farley, so you two will be Mr. and Mrs. Farley for the evening. Any other questions?" Before you could chime in with the 17 questions in your head, Tony kept talking. "I didn't think so. Your clothes have already been dropped off to your rooms, so get ready. You'll have Rogers and Wilson doing surveillance in case anything goes wrong." Without another word, Tony forced you and Bucky out of the room.

"I guess I'll see in an hour, husband." You tried to joke, but your smile didn't meet your eyes.

"Same to you, wife." Bucky's face held a similar expression as you both turned your separate ways to get ready for the gala, trying to put the awkwardness behind you.

You and Bucky have been incredibly close ever since he first came back from Wakanda. You became fast friends since you are both so close with Steve.

It was easier for Bucky to open up to you than he anticipated, and in part it's because you remind him of his sister. Similarly, Bucky is like the older brother you never had. The two of you mesh, in the most platonic of ways.

He is there to tease you about your not-so-secret crush on Steve, and your there to help Sam come up with more annoying nicknames (starBucks being one of your favorite to date).

When it comes down to it though, you look out for each other. Of course, that won't make pretending to be a couple any less awkward.

-

You and Bucky enter the gala just after 8:00 pm. The large hotel ballroom is lit up by three enormous chandeliers, spaced throughout the room, with small sconces lining the outside walls. There are round tables around the outside of the room, framing a large open space for dancing.

People are mingling in small groups scattered throughout the room, waitstaff wondering around the room in precise lines to ensure anyone who wants a drink has access to one.

With a deep breath, you link your arm with Bucky's, laughing at the surprised look on his face.

"We have to at least try to sell it." You whispered in his ear, trying to play it off as a cute couple-y thing. "Even if we'd both rather be anywhere else." That comment earned a laugh, easing the tension from his shoulders.

Steve's voice in your ears refocuses you on the mission. "We just got video feed from the security cameras, so we have eyes on you now." You would have sworn you could hear an unfamiliar strain in Steve's voice as he spoke, but you chalked it up to just being nervous for the mission. "Try to mingle, figure out who's in charge."

Mingling was easier said than done. Every time the two of you tried to talk to anyone, the conversation was awkward and tense. You just didn't know how to answer questions about falling in love with each other. Ultimately, you decided eavesdropping was your best bet. Bucky pulled you to the dance floor, whispering in your ear as he held you, "dancing is the perfect cover for moving around the room."

You nodded your head in response, wrapping your arms around his neck.

"What are you doing? I said to mingle, not dance." Steve's voice in your ears surprised you. Normally, he'd stay quiet unless he received intel that could help with the mission or noticed something for you to look into.

"We're listening to other conversations, relax punk." Bucky's voice was light as he spun you around, closer to the most suspicious people you've found thus far.  

"What time is it happening?" The woman seemed nervous as she checked her watch.

"A few minutes. Relax, we'll meet them down the hall at 8:45." The man was calm and collected as he took her hand, leading her across the dance floor and out of the room.

"Guess that's our cue." You stated the obvious as you and Bucky went to follow them out of the ballroom. The couple turned down a side hallway, pulled out a key card, and entered a room, about halfway down.

You and Bucky made quick work to reach the room, pausing outside to listen in. You heard the couple, along with an unfamiliar voice.

"Do you have them?" The unfamiliar voice asked.

"We do. They're hidden in another room down the hall." the woman again sounded nervous.

"You" the unfamiliar voice must have pointed at someone, "go get them. Your wife will stay here to keep me company. Make it quick, Hydra has more important things to do."

Yours and Bucky's eyes went wide at the mention of Hydra. This mission wasn't supposed to have anything to do with them. Before you could react, footsteps could be heard coming toward the door. You had a few seconds max to figure out a way to hide.

With no other options in sight, you pulled Bucky across the hallway into the world's most awkward kiss. When the door swung open, you pretended not to notice, too lost in your "relationship" to care.

The man you saw earlier walked a few doors down before entering another room. You pulled back from Bucky, wincing slightly at the expression on his face. "I'm so sorry, I couldn't think of anything else to do to make it look like we weren't listening..." You trailed off.

"No, no it's fine. It was the only option." Bucky cleared his throat, still slightly dazed and very thrown off.

"Could the two of you stop staring at each other and get back to work?' Steve's voice was again present in your ears, and this time he was definitely angry.

"Right! Right, of course. Let's go." You awkwardly pushed off the wall, moving down the hallway to the room you saw the man enter. On the count of three, you burst into the room together. It was easy enough to over power the lone man in the room, but you and Bucky were still a little shaken up after the kiss. You handcuffed him to the bedpost, taking the key card he used earlier and moving back down the hallway.

After a brief, awkward eye contact, Bucky opened the door with you rushing in behind him. The only two people in the room were the two you heard earlier, making for a fairly easy take down.

"Cap, we got 'em. Two in room 217 and one in room 223." You started to fill him and Sam in, unsure if they still had eyes on you. At that exact moment, three more Hydra agents ran in from an adjoining room, catching you off guard.

You yelped when the gun went off, surprised at the sudden noise after thinking the mission was over. You and Bucky managed to take down the three agents without much more difficulty.

"Scratch that Cap, five in room 217." You again began filling him in, but the room started spinning. Your voice was wavering when you collapsed, the last thing you heard a mixture of Steve's voice in your ear and Bucky's in person calling your name.

"Y/N!" Then everything faded to black.

-

"What the hell happened in there?" Steve and Bucky were standing just outside of the med bay. After you collapsed, Bucky realized you had been shot in the stomach. While other Shield agents came to collect the men you had stopped, Bucky carried you to the quinjet, meeting a pissed looking Steve at the door.

The two didn't talk at all during the short flight back to the compound. It wasn't until you were in the med bay receiving medical attention that Steve rounded on Bucky.

"There was never any indication that more agents were there. They caught us off guard! I didn't even realize she had been shot until after we had them contained." Bucky was beating himself up. He let his guard down, still trying to get over the lingering weirdness of you kissing him.

"Caught you off guard? Buck-" Before Steve could yell anymore, Dr. Cho came out to talk to them.

"Y/N will be fine. She lost a lot of blood, but she should recover relatively quickly. She'll likely wake up in the next half hour." Dr. Cho got straight to the point, trying to ease the nerves of the two super soldiers.

"Thank you so much. Thank you!" Bucky called over his shoulder as he ran into the room, planting himself by your side. He may be weirded out by the kiss, but he knows you were too. You're still like a little sister to him, nothing could stop him from being there for you when you wake up.

Steve followed Bucky into the room after thanking Dr. Cho and briefly discussing the timeline for your recovery.

"As I was saying. Caught you off guard? I've never seen you caught off guard before." Although he was whispering so as not to disturb you, his words were nearly venomous. "The two of you let your feelings get in the way of this mission."

The look of guilt already present on Bucky's face multiplied tenfold. "You think I don't know that? I should've seen it coming. If I wasn't distracted I could've stopped them before Y/N got hurt."

You woke up at some point, hearing Bucky blame himself. Instantly, you wanted to ease his worries. "Hey," the two men turned to you, concern clear on their faces. "It wasn't your fault, Buck. I was just as distracted. Neither of us saw it coming, even though both of us should have. It doesn't matter though, because we got them, and I'll be fine." You sat up, wincing slightly at the pain in your abdomen.

"How can you say that? Of course it matters! You could have died, all because Bucky was too busy making heart eyes at you to-" Steve's words were cut off by identical sounds of laughter from you and Bucky.

"Heart eyes?! Oh my god, that's hilarious." You stuttered out the words between laughs. Steve look so confused, you couldn't help but laugh at his cute expression.

Every time you thought you were done, one look at either Bucky or Steve had you laughing again. "Oh god, make it stop! It hurts to laugh!" You pouted slightly, begging Bucky to stop laughing and Steve to change his expression.

Finally, Bucky reined it in enough to speak. "I was distracted because Y/N like a little sister. It's definitely a bit distracting to feel like you just kissed your sister" You and Bucky each made a face of disgust as you looked at each other.

Meanwhile, Steve had a look of complete shock on his face. "Wh-what? You two aren't ... ya know?”

Again, you and Bucky share looks of disgust. "God, no. He's like a brother to me."

"Yeah, I love Y/N like a sister. I'm definitely not in love with her." Bucky agrees.

Steve's expression is sheepish as he tries to explain himself, "but, but after the kiss you were staring into his eyes like you were in love!"

"We most definitely were not." Mumbling under your breath, you kept talking "his aren't the blue eyes I'd like to lovingly stare into."

Steve was shocked into silence by your statement.

"I think that's my cue to leave." Bucky wore a smug grin as he slapped Steve on the back, uttering a quick "good luck, punk" before leaving.

It was quiet for a minute, neither of you quite sure what to say.

"Who's blue eyes do you want to stare into?" Steve broke the silence, shuffling closer to sit on the side of your bed.

"What?" It took you an embarrassing amount of time to realize you said that sentence out loud. "I said that out loud?" You threw your hands up to cover your face, mumbling about being an idiot to delay having to answer.

"You did. So... who's blue eyes?" Steve's demeanor quickly shifted from shy to confident. He slowly moved your hands off your face, tilting your chin up to look into your eyes. One look had you confessing all your secrets.

"Yours. It always been yours." He rubbed his thumb across your cheek, leaning in closer to you until your foreheads were touching.

"Let me take you on a date." His words were barely a whisper, the warm air from his breath sending a shiver down your spine. You nodded in response, not trusting your voice.

He leaned in closer, barely brushing his lips over yours. "I need words, sweetheart."

You pushed forward, your lips meeting his in a passionate kiss.

"Yes."

[luminnara]

God Damn, Shit Sucking Vampires | Poly lost boys x oc CH 9

(oops no gif because the ones i want won’t upload right now)

Just as a reminder, lost boys requests are OPEN!

Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

Tags:  @americancowgirl19 @ilikechocolatemilkh

Warnings: Blood, gore, vampire things

Hearing a strange voice in her head nearly drove Vera into a panic. When she realized she was hearing Max, she nearly flew into a second panic, the sire’s strong, firm voice only reassuring her that all of her fears were correct and he wasn’t going to like her very much. 

As she walked along the beach, bare toes sinking into the sand, Dwayne at her side, Vera briefly wondered how hard it would be to kill Max if it came down to a struggle. Did she have a chance against him? Maybe, if she stooped low enough to cry for her own sire, he would come and take care of it—

“Hey, chill out,” Dwayne said, stopping and turning towards her slightly. “What’s wrong?”

She realized she had halted and was simply standing there, staring at nothing as her mind raced. He could probably feel how freaked out she was getting, and as she looked at him, she found a gentle, understanding expression on his face. 

“C’mere,” he said, his voice low and rumbly and comforting. 

He opened his arms in invitation and she dove right in, moving quickly and desperately enough that she knocked him right onto his ass. He landed in the sand with a laugh, situating the two of them so that she could sit in his lap and they could face the dark, never ending ocean. 

“Did Max freak you out?” Dwayne asked as Vera tucked her head under his chin. 

“...a little.” 

“Why?”

She sighed. Something about Dwayne made her feel so safe that she was actually considering talking with him about things she hadn’t even told David yet. “Because I’m not used to this. I’m used to vampires who want me out of their territory the second I even get close, and I can’t really blame them.”

“This is your territory, too.” He said. “You’re the one who’ll be kicking people out of it now.”

“I don’t think Max is going to like me.” She grumbled. 

“Why not?”

She was quiet for a moment, fiddling with the zipper of his jacket. “Because he’ll see me as a threat.”

“Max isn’t like that.”

“You’re just saying that now because he’s your sire.”

“No, I’m saying it because I mean it.” Dwayne rested his cheek on the top of her head, his hand absentmindedly rubbing circles on her back. “Max wants a family. Now you’re part of that family.”

He sounded so sure of his own words that Vera was actually feeling inclined to believe him for a moment. “Parents don’t tend to like me.”

“Anyone who can handle having Paul in their pack can handle you.”

She scoffed. “He isn’t that bad.”

“Maybe to you.” Dwayne chuckled. He tightened his arms around her when he realized that his jokes weren’t very reassuring. “Max is a good man. A good sire.”

“Why?” Vera asked. “What does he do that makes you like him so much?”

“Well,” Dwayne situated them a bit better, getting more comfortable. “He’s fair. He acts stern, but...he sees himself as our father.”

“Don’t they always?” Vera grumbled. 

“He calls David his prodigal son, but he always wanted a whole family. He ended up with the four of us.”

“So, what? He plucked you all up out of the gutter and that makes him a good guy?”

“Why are you so determined to hate him?”

“I’m not!” she protested. “I’m just...wary.”

“Max gave us new lives.” Dwayne sighed. “He found us back in San Francisco after we got ourselves in some trouble with another vampire.”

Vera had to snort in amusement at that. “Seriously? Who’d you pick a fight with? Dracula?”

“Well…”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

He flashed her a smile. “How were we supposed to know who he was?”

“Humans really have no self preservation instincts, do they?”

“Apparently not.” Dwayne chuckled, squeezing her. 

“How long ago was it?”

“1906, same year as that big earthquake. Tore the whole city apart...it was the perfect time for four vampires to start learning how to survive, with all that chaos. People were dead, more were missing...nobody noticed a few more disappearing here and there.”

“Is that why Max and, uh...Vlad were there?” Vera asked. 

“I imagine.” Dwayne shrugged. “We resisted at first. David was especially pissed off.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Vera laughed quietly. 

“But...we took to the lifestyle pretty quickly.”

“And that’s that?” Vera asked. 

“That’s that.” he shrugged. “Max wants to be a father figure. He turned David because he wanted a son, and he taught him everything he knew. Then, he decided David needed companions, and he happened to find me not long after. Then the others. Max isn’t a bad guy, Vera. You’ll see.”

“That’s what everybody says about their own sire.” she said, looking out at the black waves as they crashed against the sand just a few feet in front of her. “Everyone wants to talk their sires up, because without them, we’re nothing. Just because your own sire is nice to you doesn’t mean he’ll be nice to me.”

“What’s so bad about your own that you think ours is so awful?”

The question hung in the air for a moment, Vera’s mouth pressing into a thin line. “Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me.” Dwayne opened his eyes, rubbing his cheek over the top of her head affectionately. 

“I’m not.”

“I know that you are, though.”

Vera let out a frustrated noise, then heaved a sigh. Maybe talking about this could be good for her. Maybe verbalizing thoughts and fears that she’d been living with for centuries could finally help her get over them...and if anyone was a good listener, it would be Dwayne. 

“Okay, fine.” she said. “What’s so bad about my sire? Everything. Everything is what’s bad about him, literally.”

“Where’s he from?” Dwayne asked. 

“The old country. Like...the old old country.”

“Why are you so reluctant to talk about him?” Dwayne’s voice was low and gentle, barely audible over the sound of the waves. 

“Because he’s got a reputation.” she fiddled with the hem of her shorts. “Most older vampires know of him. You guys might not, and if we had a different situation, I’d say it should stay that way.”

“That serious, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

“Hmm.” Dwayne’s chest rumbled. “The others should hear about this, too.”

“Yeah, they should.” she sighed again, her voice small. She felt small in general, all curled up in Dwayne’s lap like that. Small and helpless. She wasn’t, though, and she didn’t want them to think that she was. So she cleared her throat, trying to muster as much confidence as she could, ignoring the mild twisting in her gut. “I’ll tell you guys everything tomorrow night.”

Dwayne made a small, impatient sound. 

“Max will want to hear, too.”

“That’s a good point,” he admitted. “You know, I still need to hunt for you…”

Vera perked up slightly. The thought of food made the tight feeling in her chest loosen up slightly, and she looked at Dwayne eagerly. “Yes, please.”

He laughed, wrapping his arms around her as he stood and set her back on her feet. “Then let’s go find some snacks, Princess.”

-0-

“You know, we don’t have to do this. We could just go back to the cave--”

“What happened to that tough attitude you had a few days ago?” David raised an eyebrow, looking amused as he pulled Vera off the back of his bike.

“I’m still tough,” she growled, knowing that he could very easily feel how nervous she was. 

“Come on, babe,” Paul parked his bike next to David’s and bounded over to her. “You’ll be fine.”

“We’d never let anything happen to ya,” Marko said, following Paul. 

Vera knew he was telling the truth, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She had barely slept the entire day, waking up restless and on edge as soon as the sun disappeared, and it had taken a good deal of coaxing from David to even get her to leave the roost. They took Star and Laddie to the boardwalk, dropped them off with some cash, and then headed off to Max’s house.

David told Vera along the way that Star and Laddie weren’t allowed to know where Max lived. They really weren’t allowed to know anything about him in general, in order to protect him, so when the pack walked up to the front gate of their sire’s home, it was only the four boys who accompanied Vera. She didn’t mind; having Star around would have only put her more on edge, probably, and she had been glad to leave the halfling behind. 

As she faced the gated bridge that led to Max’s completely normal-looking, Californian home, Vera did everything she could to act confident. She squared her shoulders, held her chin up, and pretended that she had nothing to worry about...but the boys could see right through the facade, and as they joined her, they all fell into a little formation. In moments, Vera was surrounded by them, David offering his arm while the others stepped into their spots behind. It made her feel better, knowing that they were all there to protect her...but at the same time, she still wished they were all out wandering the boardwalk. 

“So brave,” David sneered as she took his arm. 

“Shut up.” she growled, vaguely aware of Dwayne’s hand on her lower back. 

“Relax,” Marko purred. 

“Don’t you dare tell me to relax, Marko, I swear—“

The barking of a rapidly approaching dog interrupted her, the sound of paws thumping rhythmically against the wooden walkway drawing her attention away from the boys. A big white hellhound was barreling towards the gate, all teeth and rage, and although it looked like it wanted to tear her limbs off, the sight of such a beast made Vera temporarily forget why she was so anxious. Even as it barked and snarled and threw itself against the gate, she thought that it was absolutely adorable.

“Oh, look at you!” She squealed as the boys all jumped back. When she took a step forward, David tried to yank her towards him, but she slipped away easily, too focused on this hellhound to care. 

“You’re such a big handsome boy,” she said, in a voice that made Paul jealous. 

“No fair,” he grumbled, crossing his arms. “Why’s the dumb dog get all that?”

Marko glanced at the taller blond nervously. “Don’t call him dumb, you remember what happened last time?”

Paul groaned, rolling his eyes at the memory of nearly losing a hand. 

The dog stopped barking as Vera approached, falling silent as it sniffed the air around her. The vicious look on its face was gone, replaced by curiosity, and when Vera ignored David’s irritated warnings and reached over the gate to pet it, the animal whined. 

“You must be Thorn,” Vera cooed, scratching behind its ears. “What a big, brave, hell-y hellhound you are, yes you are!”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Paul said as he watched. 

“What?” Vera asked, looking over her shoulder at him. 

“Thorn doesn’t like any of us.” Marko huffed. “Why’s he like you so much?”

“Well...he can probably smell my sire on me,” Vera said. “Might remind him of home. Hellhounds usually like me because of that.”

“...Home?” Paul asked. 

“I’ll tell you later.”

“But I wanna know now!” he whined.

Thorn growled at him. 

“Thorn!” a male voice called from the other end of the little bridge. 

Vera immediately stiffened. The front door of the house had opened, and in it stood a man, wearing a very stylish suit and horn rimmed glasses. Thorn heeded his master’s call, giving Paul one last woof before trotting back towards Max. His departure freed the front gate, and David brushed past Vera to open it, taking her hand and leading the gang across the walkway. 

“Boys,” Max greeted as they approached him. He offered David a stern smile, one which David didn’t return, and when Max’s eyes fell upon Vera all tucked up against his side, his eyes narrowed slightly. “And you must be Vera.”

She didn’t like that he knew her name. It was inevitable that he’d find out what it was, but still...she kept clinging to the hope that maybe, he wouldn’t learn too much about her. The boys seemed so convinced that Max was just an annoying father, but as Vera took him in, she could see that behind the trendy, 80s-dad facade, there was an old, powerful vampire, and those were the kind she didn’t get along with very well. 

“Well, come in, everyone, before dinner gets cold. I made sure to get all your favorites, boys.” Max stepped to the side, inviting them over the threshold in a very courteous way, one that suggested he had nothing to fear from the boys or Vera.

“You shouldn’t have,” David sneered sarcastically as he walked in. 

“Would it kill you to be nice?” Vera hissed. 

He rolled his eyes.

Max noticed the exchange with a bemused expression on his face. “Go on in and sit down. The table’s already set.”

The house was nice. It wasn’t incredibly extravagant, by any means, but it was perfectly well decorated, modern art that Vera didn’t quite know how to appreciate hanging on the walls. Everything was clean and organized, not a speck of dust in sight, as opposed to the state of decay the boys kept their lair in. Max seemed to enjoy playing the role of a video store owner, and his home reflected that; if anyone came to visit, they wouldn’t see a single item out of place, nor would they have any reason to be suspicious of him. There were no torture devices, no loose vials of blood sitting around, no skulls or human skin nailed up. It looked so...normal. 

Vera almost stopped to wonder why exactly she was so nervous...and then she heard the whimpering.

“Geez, Max,” Paul remarked as they rounded the corner and entered the dining room, “you really shouldn’t have.”

“Well, fresh caught is always the best,” Max said. “Don’t you agree?”

“Hell yeah,” Marko growled, lips pulled back in a grin. 

The dining room table was covered in an array of meats, from a suckling pig in the center to a rack of ribs at the end. Six chairs surrounded the feast, plates and cutlery set out at each spot, with big glass goblets already half full of blood ready and waiting. Next to each chair stood a human, frozen due to both fear and Max’s vampire magic, a couple of them shaking and considerably more conscious than the others. 

Max walked to his place at the head of the table, Thorn at his side as he took his seat. David sat at the far end, facing him, his eyes dark and hungry as he held himself back. Dwayne sat at David’s left side, Vera at his right, while Paul and Marko took the remaining two chairs and tried not to completely lose their minds. They were shaking almost as much as the humans were, Paul looking at his blood donor eagerly while Marko held a little sneer on his face that suggested he was about ten seconds from ripping his apart.

“Dig in, everyone,” Max said, taking his cloth napkin and tucking it into his shirt collar. “But please try not to make a mess. There’s more than enough here for each of you.”

David immediately grabbed the arm of his meal, sinking his fangs in and taking a drink while Max preferred to drain his into the goblet he had set out for himself. Vera could only watch, stunned, as the carnage began, and before long, she was joining in. The human Max had caught for her was a middle aged clergyman, and she had to tear through his holy sleeve to get to his flesh. 

She didn’t mind, though; she very rarely ever got to eat members of the clergy. They were generally too much work to hunt down, and since she had an aversion to churches, well...like most vampires, she tended to leave them alone. It was hard to nab them without making a spectacle and letting the entire town know that something was amiss. So, all things considered, a little bit of extra work involving a mouthful of fabric was worth it. This was like a special treat for her, and she couldn’t help but drain him all in one go, still holding on even after he had collapsed in a bloodless heap on the floor. 

When she looked up, she realized that Max was watching her. 

“So,” he said, speaking over the hellish sounds of the others slurping up their meals, “I believe some congratulations are in order. Welcome to the family, Vera.”

She swallowed her last mouthful of blood and looked at him. “Uh...thanks. I-I mean, thank you.”

Max picked up his silverware, cutting a slice of ham for himself. “Where are you from, Vera?”

“I wander,” she said, following suit and stabbing her fork into a raw steak. 

“I’ve surmised that much,” Max chuckled good-naturedly. “I meant where are you from originally.”

“...oh.” She cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly. “Italy.”

“Italy!” Max exclaimed. “Such a lovely region. I haven’t visited The Mediterranean since I left the old country myself. If I didn’t have the shop here, perhaps I’d take a trip...have you been back recently?”

“No,” she crossed and uncrossed her legs, trying to act like she wasn’t fidgeting. She took a bite of her steak, focusing on the blood as it trickled down her throat. 

Max reached for his goblet, raising the blood to his lips and taking a drink. “And your sire, is he still in Europe?”

Vera almost choked on her food. 

By this point, the boys were all watching. Paul was licking blood off his lips while Marko still had his dinner’s forearm in his mouth, but David and Dwayne were both focused solely on the conversation at hand, their eyes narrowed slightly as they listened. 

When she realized that everyone was waiting, Vera coughed into her fist, clearing her throat. “Y-yes, he is.”

Max’s eyes darkened, despite the smile on his face. “You know you need to tell me about him, Vera.”

“There’s not much to tell,” she lied, turning back to her steak. “Just an ancient vampire, out there in the old country. Not very exciting.”

“Exciting or not, I’d still prefer to know who he is.” Max said. 

She shrugged, reaching for her glass to take a nervous drink. “I doubt you’d know him.”

“When you drink that blood, you’ll be joining our family.”

She froze, hand on the stem of the glass.

“I’m sure your sire will be able to feel it. I’d hate to be rude and not even know his name in the event he visits one day.”

Vera stared at the blood—Max’s blood—as her fingers tightened around the stem. “You don’t want him to visit.”

“Oh?” Max asked, appearing as relaxed as ever. “Why not?”

“Because of who he is.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “And what he can do.”

Dwayne and David glanced at each other. 

When Max spoke again, his voice was softer, gentler than before. “What is your sire’s name, Vera?”

With a great deal of effort, she opened her eyes again, still staring into the blood rather than at any of them. 

“Asmodeus.” She said. “My sire is Asmodeus.”

[j4gm]

Obsidian lore thread!

Sharing this thread of lore, episode connections, and Easter eggs from Adventure Time: Distant Lands: Obsidian, originally written for my Twitter.

SPOILERS AHEAD, WATCH OBSIDIAN ON HBO MAX IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY

Keep reading for the full thread!

1) We've seen bombs scattered around the Land of Ooo before, but this is the first time we've seen the word "fission", confirming that they are nukes. Although we have seen the radiation roundel plenty of times so it's pretty obvious.

2) The "magic lightning" that created the Glass Kingdom could itself have been one of the nukes. Alternatively, it could have been the catalyst comet, although Finn has no connection to this place so that's probably not the case.

3) The subtitles for the first four minutes video suggested that Glassboy was saying "crap" here. However, the HBO Max subtitles confirm he is actually saying "crack".

4) All of Marceline's classic furniture is present, but Bubblegum's influence is very visible; a doily on the couch, a flask underneath, new barstools from the Candy Kingdom, and the pink lamp in the bedroom, just to name a few examples.

5) Lady Rainicorn slippers. That is all.

6) Chocoberry on the cover of a magazine. Looks like she's been dipped in white chocolate for this shoot.

7) This is the first time we've seen Choose Goose since he appeared as "Achoos Goose" in the Elements miniseries. Last time we saw his normal form was all the way back in season five's "Blade of Grass", nearly seven years ago. Is it weird that Choose Goose was the first thing in the episode to make me cry?

8) It appears that Princess Bubblegum has not rebuilt the Gumball Guardians since they were destroyed in the battle against GOLB.

9) There are lots of familiar candy people in and around the tavern, from a variety of seasons, including Kenneth, Dirt Beer Guy, Cherry Cream Soda, a Banana Guard 500, Lollipop Girl, and Smudge.

10) Simon is of course singing "Remember You". He is also using the omnichord that was used in that episode. Interestingly, this suggests he might remember some of his experiences as the Ice King.

11) This isn't the first time Dirt Beer Guy's tavern has hosted an open mic night. He also held one in "Son of Rap Bear", and even used the same banner, although it's looking a little tattered and worn out now.

12) Simon doesn't look any older than he did in the finale. This might mean that Betty's wish made him immortal, or it simply might not have been long enough for him to visibly age.

13) This is the oversized shirt given to Marceline by her father in the episode "Marcy & Hunson". It's looking a little faded these days.

14) Bubblegum's outfit is of a similar style to the one in "The Vault", but it's not the same. The fact she's not wearing her amulet might suggest this flashback takes place after "The Vault", but nothing is known for certain.

15) There are gravestones outside Marceline's house, but these actually aren’t new. They previously appeared in “Go With Me”. So don’t worry, these don’t belong to Jake or anything like that.

16) Simon's coping mechanism would be funny if it wasn't so sad. It's going to be a long time before he fully recovers. On a lighter note, the magnets on the fridge say "M PB" which is pretty cute.

17) This is our first time seeing the outside of Elise's van. We previously saw the interior in "Everything Stays". Also, we learned from the credits and subtitles that her name is Elise!

18) Previously, it wasn't known whether or not Elise survived the Mushroom War. Turns out she did... but not for long. It's also now unclear whether the flashback from "Everything Stays" happened before or after the war.

19) A nice little timeline detail: Marceline travelling with her mother for a while explains the awkward two year gap between the Mushroom War and the events of "Simon & Marcy".

20) Here's a comparison of the parts of Marceline's song that got corrupted into the current version. The Glass People got really obsessed with the idea of the song being about coconuts for some reason.

21) PB yelling "Scree!" to summon the Morrow is a callback all the way to the season two episode "Death in Bloom", which is when the Morrow made their debut.

22) Disease is added to the long list of things that helped wipe out humanity. I wonder if this disease is related to the one that Hugo and his crew gave to the grays in the BMO special. I also wonder if Marceline is immune thanks to her demon half.

23) The mutant puppy was able to say the word "wassup". Perhaps this is a halfway stage to the talking animals that now populate the Land of Ooo.

24) Turns out Marceline discovered her demon powers before she defeated the Fool. This is the first appearance of these kinds of soulless husks since "It Came From the Nightosphere" in season two.

25) This is the first new candy power we've seen Princess Bubblegum use since she learned how to create mints and soda in "Jelly Beans Have Power".

26) Marceline not caring about the glass people is very in line with her personality in the early seasons, such as when she was happy to let her father suck souls as long as she got her bass back.

27) No Easter egg here, just an extremely good image.

28) Here's the screenshot leaked by Adam Muto last month. Like the gas station in "Bonnibel Bubblegum", the graffiti here tells an interesting story. Seems like the Land of Ooo had a bit of a Mad Max phase while the humans were still around.

29) This is (as far as I know) only the second time an Adventure Time character has ever been shown bleeding. The first was the heart monster in "The Enchiridion", but that was a lot less realistic.

30) The fact that humans survived long enough to construct a whole Fallout-style bunker confirms that the near-extinction of humanity wasn't a quick process. It makes you wonder whether any other groups made it, besides the Islanders.

31) Apart from this being one of the darkest scenes in the entire show, I like the background detail of bank notes being used as toilet paper.

32) Marceline grew up blaming herself for her mother leaving, and says she is like her dad. It sounds like Elise has told Marceline a bit about Hunson Abadeer, and is scared and angry at him.

33) This actually isn't the first time Marceline's bass has been broken. She also snapped the handle during her fight with the Vampire King. However, it's never been completely shattered like this.

34) This might be a reference to the Hall of Egress. That's the only other time we've heard Bubblegum use that word.

35) Confirmation that Princess Bubblegum doesn't have bones. I guess that counts as lore?

36) The gag of the Banana Guards slipping over each other was also done in "The Thin Yellow Line" and probably some other episodes I'm forgetting.

37) Jake’s granddaughter Bronwyn is certainly an unexpected appearance. I wonder what affiliation she has with the main cast now?

38) And of course... FINN! I would estimate he's aged about five to ten years since the finale, but it's hard to tell with Adventure Time's style. He looks younger than he did in Puhoy's alternate future.

39) Lots of people have been theorising that the tattoo implies that something unfortunate has happened to Jake. Perhaps we'll get to know more about that in Together Again. Let's not dwell on it for now.

40) A canon origin story for the shirt, plus a Bubbline first meeting! This overrides the P.B. & Marcy comic, and re-contextualises a whole bunch of the old Bubbline episodes!

That’s all for now! Let me know if you can think of anything I missed!

[is-it-art-tho]

Summary: A mission gone awry, too many memories, too much blood, and not enough time. Bruce races to save a son he couldn't save before.

Prologue, Ch. 2, Ch. 3, Ch. 4, Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Ch. 7, Ch. 8

_________

Then.

“Who’s the bat now?” a young voice shouted.

Bruce paused halfway through the foyer and looked up. “Get down before you hurt yourself,” he called back.

Twelve-year-old Jason was hanging from the second-floor banister with his legs curled around the handrail, grinning impishly. “You sound like Alfred. We do way more dangerous stuff than this like every night.”

“That’s not the—” Bruce began, but the boy’s eyes zeroed in on the bowl of chocolates he was holding under his arm.

“Are those truffles?!” Jason stuck out his hands and grasped at the air between them. “Gimme gimme gimme!”

“You can have as many as you want once you get down.”

This, of course, was a lie. The first and last time Bruce had made a promise like this had involved a three-tiered cake left mostly untouched after a company party. He had been expecting Jason to have maybe three slices, max. The kid had instead eaten almost half of it, then proceeded to spend the rest of the night gagging and moaning over the toilet. (Alfred had laid into Bruce for that one: “What sort of promise is that to make to a child? Honestly!”)

A bright smile flashed across Jason’s face as he started to sit up before pausing then letting himself flop back upside down again with an accusatory frown. “Wait a second. You did that thing.”

“What thing?

“That thing with your eyebrows that you do whenever you’re makin’ stuff up.” Jason tried to demonstrate, scrunching his face around cartoonishly. “Liar.”

“All right, all right. Fair enough,” Bruce conceded, making a mental note to work on that particular tell. “But the point still stands. Leave that stuff for the practice mats and patrol.”

“Okayyy. But can you just throw one in my mouth? Please?”

Despite trying to maintain some semblance of sternness, a small grin tugged at the corner of Bruce’s mouth as he took in Jason’s pathetic excuse for puppy dog eyes. “Jason…”

“Just one?”

With a resigned sigh, Bruce plucked a single truffle from the bowl. “Alright. Just—”

***************************

Now.

“—one,” Bruce grunted over the pouring rain, adjusting the weight of Jason’s arm slung across his shoulders. When had he gotten so big? “C’mon, Jay. One step. There you go. One foot in front of the other.”

Jason’s head lolled forward as he struggled to remain upright, dragging a boot forward, then the other, his feet barely leaving the slick cobblestones. “I…hate Germany.”

“I know. We’ll be home soon.”

“Liar,” the young man rasped. He lifted his head enough to grin at Bruce, and it was a gruesome sight—his helmet was long gone, and now long trails of blood hung from his nose and mouth, his teeth a row of red—but it was somehow encouraging all the same.

“You can’t even see my eyebrows.”

“Don’t have to.”

Bruce feigned alarm. “Don’t tell me I have another tell.”

“Loads of ‘em.”

“Now who’s the lia—" he started then stopped abruptly.

The two of them heard it at the same time, muted in the downpour, but distinct—a series of quick and careful steps rushing up from behind.

Jason’s head swiveled first, and his eye that wasn’t swollen shut flew wide. Before Bruce had time to react, he was being shoved out of the way, stumbling on wet stones and falling hard as Jason spun to face the man in the balaclava that was charging towards them.

The assassin’s black uniform was barely visible in the shimmering dark of the rain, but as lightning tore through the clouds, he was lit in blinding relief, as was the ornate dagger in his hand.

And Bruce watched Jason spot the weapon too, but the young man's body was in no state to react the way it needed to, and in the span of a single breath, the dagger was gone, plunged deep into the young man’s abdomen.

The following crack of thunder was rivaled only by Bruce’s own roar.

***************************

Then.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Bruce stepped aside to let Jason shuffle past him and into Bruce’s personal quarters on the Watchtower, noting with a small pang of sympathy how the young boy started to limp as soon as the door closed behind them and there was no chance of one of the others seeing.

The boy flopped onto the bed with his face flat against the sheets. “Do what?”

“Go through all those drills with us,” he said, tugging off his shirt with some difficulty—already he was beginning to get sore. “It’s not an easy training routine. Even some of us tap out sometimes.”

“Wanted to.”

“Hm.” Bruce glanced at his bare torso in the mirror where bruises were already beginning to form. “Can I ask why?”

When Jason didn’t answer, he glanced at the boy in the mirror. “Jay.”

Still nothing. Had he passed out? Bruce turned, ready to rush him to the infirmary, only to find Jason perfectly awake and apparently furious. He was glaring at the ceiling with such an intensity Bruce had no doubt it would have melted if he’d had heat vision.

“This is about what Diana said,” he surmised, leaning back against the dresser. “You’re aware she wasn’t trying to offend you.”

“She said I wasn’t good enough.”

“No,” Bruce corrected patiently.

“She said I wasn’t as good as him.”

“She also said you had heart, which is something she doesn’t throw around lightly.” Bruce bent to pull a water bottle from the mini fridge and tossed it onto the bed beside Jason who made no move to grab it. “And you have to keep in mind Dick was almost sixteen the first time they met. He had a lot of experience under his belt by then. You just turned thirteen.”

“But it’s not just that,” Jason explained, openly exasperated. He sat up and pulled his domino off to cradle it in his hands like a living thing. “It’s everybody. Everybody thinks he was better than me. He’s the real Robin and I’m just…the replacement. I wanna show them that I’m the real thing, too. And that you didn’t make a mistake when you…”

He stopped short, but the rest of the sentence rang in the air anyway as if he had shouted it: You didn’t make a mistake when you chose me.

Bruce struggled to find the right words to say, to find that balance between sincerity and what Jason would certainly read as coddling. It was a fine line, and one he often stumbled over, and precious seconds ticked by in silence until at last Jason’s demeanor shifted.

The young boy’s face twisted into a stubborn smile, and Bruce knew instantly that the window of opportunity had passed.

“But who cares what they think anyway?” Jason smirked. “I know who I am so whatever.”

Another moment fumbled due to Bruce’s own ineptitude. He was no good at these conversations—not the way Clark and Alfred and even Dick were—and he cursed himself for it.

“Okay if I shower first?” the boy asked, scooting to the edge of the bed where he started unlacing his boots.

“Sure,” Bruce sighed. “Towels are in the drawer.”

Jason was nearly to the bathroom with a towel in hand when a knock came at the door and Bruce called, “Come in.”

The door slid open, and Clark stepped in, already showered and changed. In his hand was a pair of clippers.

“Thanks for letting me borrow these. Hey!” he beamed, turning to Jason. “Well, look at you!”

“What?” Jason shot back defensively, looking himself over. “What?”

“Nothing. Just happy to see you up and around so fast. You know, the first time we trained together as a team, this guy,” Clark held up a hand to block the fact that he was pointing directly at Bruce—Bruce saw it anyway—“came back here and slept for about eight hours. Everyone thought he was dead.”

“Seriously?!”

“No,” Bruce interjected.

“Alright. Five,” Clark allowed.

Bruce’s voice dipped threateningly. “Clark.”

“Did I mention he puked?”

By the time the deodorant left Bruce’s hand and exploded against the wall, Clark was already grinning mischievously from the other side of the room, his cape settling back around him.

Meanwhile, Jason was bent double, laughing harder than Bruce had seen in a long time. “You puked?” he wheezed.

“Like a fire hydrant,” Clark chimed, eliciting another roar of laughter. It was as innocent and contagious and perfect a sound as Bruce had ever heard, filling the small space easily.

The two men exchanged a quick knowing glance while Jason laughed, confirming what Bruce had suspected from the moment the other man had arrived—one way or another, Clark noticed that something was wrong.

Clark raised an eyebrow—a question—and Bruce nodded: He’ll be okay and Thank you packed into the quick dip of his chin. Clark smiled.

Setting aside the clippers, the Kryptonian crossed the room to pat Jason on the back, saying earnestly, “Good work today. Really.”

“Thanks,” Jason said, and this time the smile that slid across his face was genuine.

After Clark had gone, Jason whispered, “Did you really do all that stuff?”

“He exaggerated.”

“But?”

“Yes, I vomited,” Bruce offered at last, more than willing to fall on this sword if it meant hearing that sound again. After a moment’s consideration he added, “Flash slipped in it.”

And again, Jason was howling, letting himself fall back against the wall and as he gripped his ribs. “I can’t breathe!” he gasped between peals of laughter. “I—"

[tatooedlaura-blog]

End of the Road

post-Redux/Redux 2

... their moments ... from now on ... Our Moments: Chapter 1: Five Words (post-Leonard Betts) Chapter 2: Sidebar Nonsense (post-Memento Mori) Chapter 3: Interim (floating somewhere around Unrequited) Chapter 4: Max 2.0 (post-Tempus Fugit/Max) Chapter 5: Shadowed Grey Eyes Chapter 6: The Warmest Thing I Own Chapter 7: Fancy Paper Napkins ​ Chapter 8: End of the Road (post-Redux/Redux 2)

@today-in-fic

&&&&&&&&&&

He put her through hell the next two weeks and finally, seeing her on the other side of the hospital window, he splintered, leaning forward, unable to breath, overwhelming sorrow manifesting in yelled demands of people who couldn’t answer his pleas.

He thought he was quiet at her bedside that night, the world bearing down on both of them, but as he sobbed into her sheets, he felt her hand drift though his hair, nails lightly scratching scalp, “it might be a little tight, but I think we’ll both fit if we try.”

Mess that he was, he stood, dragged his hands over his face to clear away at least some of the nonsense before disappearing to blow his nose on some toilet paper from the bathroom. Coming back in, he shuffled towards her, whispering, “I snuck in. What if I fall asleep and can’t sneak back out?”

“I’m dying, Mulder. I can do what I want and right now, I want you in here with me.”

Deep breath of acceptance at her now-undeniable retort, he did as ordered, wedging himself behind her, back to front, arm hesitant over her belly, full length curl around her. He could feel her ribs against his forearm, her bony hip under his elbow, sharp shoulder blades pressing his chest, “we need to get you a milkshake.”

“If I could keep one down, I’d send you right now but puking up ice cream will just ruin it.”

“I see your point.” Sniffing latent snot back up his nose, he apologized, then, “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Soaking up his warmth like a sponge, “I’m not sleeping that well these days anyway, and …” running off into oblivion, she finished the sentence a moment later, “well, I’d rather spend all the time I can with you, even if it’s at whatever the hell time it is and in a hospital bed.”

“A good cuddle does have its merits.”

That got a smile from her, “thank you.”

“For what?”

This time she found the words she couldn’t after he made her dinner, “for doing all those things that a partner would do; that a husband, a best friend, that family would do.”

Well, that made his heart break for the hundredth time that day, and mouth to neck yet again, his words rustled her hair and vibrated her soul, “well, you are my partner and my best friend, which makes us family and I think I fit the category of work husband so I’ve got all the bases covered.”

Reaching for his hand, she pulled it up to her face, kissing his knuckles before tucking it under her cheek, “we need to talk about a few things.”

“No, we really don’t.”

“Yes, we do. Let me take the fall, please? I need to know you’re okay once I’m gone.”

Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!

“We can have that argument tomorrow. Right now, just let me enjoy this, all right?”

She heard his mental screams of ‘Stop It!’ and she did, nodding against his hand, “all right but tomorrow, you’re listening to me.”

Wanting to cocoon her, tuck her inside himself, hide her away so the cancer and the fear and the reality of it all couldn’t find her, he hugged her closer, spooned behind her tight, “maybe.” That’s as good as she would get tonight and accepting it, she did her best to forget everything but the moment. A pleasant ‘hmm’ purred out a minute later and, hearing it as well as feeling it against his chest, “what was that for?”

Not realizing she’d made the sound until it was too late, “living in my moment, Mulder.”

“Our moment.”

For half a second, she wanted to cry, “You’re right. Our moment.”

&&&&&&&&&

He was gone when she woke up, the nurse checking on her telling her quietly, “he snuck out about 20 minutes ago.” Seeing her still sleepy look of disappointment, she smiled, “I’ve seen the way he looks at you; he’ll be back.”

Alone a moment later, she tried to work herself into a rage because he left without saying good-bye and without talking to her like she’d asked but, in the end, it was Mulder and she really should have expected it. Returning to her side, facing the door, she shut her eyes, imagining he was still behind her.

&&&&&&&&&&

He appeared the next day, glass vial offering a last-ditch effort in his fight to save her. He watched her argue with her family, fight her doctors, grasp onto a fading hope without which, she would be forced to make him sit, discuss funeral arrangements, ask him to give up while holding her hand.

&&&&&&&&&&

First Skinner left her room, then her brother, then, finally, Maggie, who gave him a hug and told him, without words but the slightest of head nods, that Scully was inside waiting for him. He gave it another minute, still processing, still gripping the bloody picture, still marveling at the news that was, indeed, real.

Opening her door slowly, the first thing he saw was not a smile but her piercing gaze that ranged in interpretation, over the years, from raging irritation to unbridled happiness. Todays was more of a confused relief bordering on reserved elation, “Mom says you’ve been sitting in the hallway.”

“Your mother deserved the first hug.”

“Are you going to be my third?”

“Patience, woman. I give you a hug now, we’ll both be crying for the next hour.” Shooting her his first mischievous grin in months, “I am breaking all kinds of rules still being here. Three people have asked me to leave already.”

She’d been prepared to talk for a few minutes, then go to sleep but suddenly, that wasn’t cutting it anymore, “You want to go for a drive?”

Finally approaching her, he pressed his thighs against the edge of the bed, leaning just enough forward but keeping his hands in his pockets, schoolboy asking a question of his favorite girl, “your place or mine?”

She hadn’t even thought that far ahead in the discussion but now that it was out there, hanging in the air, she gave him a smile, “your place. We haven’t been there in awhile.”

“Luckily I just changed the sheets a few days ago.”

Holding eye contact, swearing for one second she could actually see into his soul, she found herself moving her legs, bumping into Mulder as she sat upright, slid off the bed, “go find me my clothes.”

They didn’t so much sneak from the hospital as walk out, quietly, Scully’s bag in Mulder’s one hand, Mulder’s other on her back, pressed to muscle and bone, fingers loose-gripping the back of her shirt. No one said a word, elevator their immediate destination, anywhere else in the world their quest. The air was balmy, the breeze light, and Scully stopped the moment the automatic doors shut behind her, inhaling deep.

Mulder, nearly knocking her over, suddenly panicked, “what? What’s wrong?”

Her head spun, giddy and light, “just … overwhelmed for a minute.”

“Do you need to go back inside?”

Shaking her head vehemently, “no … no, I just … your place, please.”

“Food first?”

“No. I … that’s too much right now.” Looking up at her partner, suddenly exhausted, “a bed would be nice and some drugs when we get to your place.”

“Home it is, then.” He valeted the car, tucked her inside, and drove away, aiming towards his apartment. She was dozing by the second turn and fully asleep by the time he pulled up to the curb. Crouching beside her open passenger door, hand on thigh, voice low, he began coaxing her in a soft voice reserved for just such occasions, “hey, Scully? Wake up. We’re here and you’ve gotta stay awake long enough to deal with the front steps and the elevator.”

Blinking her eyes open, they rolled around for a moment before focusing, “okay. Don’t let me fall down.”

“Never.”

He wanted to laugh at her swaying walk, likening it to her drunken trek a year ago at her mother’s surprise birthday party. Not saying that aloud, however, he steered her to his door then inside.

He set her bag down, then took her coat, hanging it before heading toward the kitchen for a glass of water so she could take her meds and lay down. Asking over his shoulder what type of pain killer she wanted, he glanced back when she didn’t answer. Finding her still rooted to her spot beside the hat rack, he stopped, took in the tears already rolling, then held out his hand, waving her towards him, “come here.” She did, shuffling, leaving shoes behind and walking into him, the collision backing him up a few steps. Accepting the momentum, he continued moving, sitting down on the arm of the couch, level with her now, arms tight around her neck, her face hidden in his shirt, “what’s wrong?”

“It can’t be real, Mulder. It can’t. It shouldn’t have worked.”

“But it did. You saw the scans.”

“But what if I go to sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow and it’s back?”

Shifting her away, he settled hands on cheeks, thumbs against eyebrows, painting over them lightly, absently, as he tilted her head to meet her tear-y gaze, “it won’t be but if it is, but it won’t be, we will figure it out … together … all right? We got here once and we can do it again … but we won’t have to, so don’t worry about it.”

Her hands were around his wrists, “I think you just gave me a headache.”

“I’ve been giving you headaches for four years now. What’s new?”

“This.” Leaning in, she kissed him, barely brushing his lips but setting his world on fire in the process, “I’ve got, to sound trite, a new lease on life and I’m not wasting it.” Kissing him again, before swaying dangerously to one side, “but I am going to ask that we sleep through a little bit of it because if I don’t lay down soon, I’m going to end up on your floor.”

He wiped the few remaining tears from her cheeks before he kissed her back, light but claiming, “do you mind some company?”

“I have never minded your company.” Yawning, she turned white, an immediate sweat beading on her upper lip, “but I need to lay down … now.”

Walking her to the bed, he gave her a shirt and some shorts, some drugs and a glass of water, then, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Returning with a second blanket, he found her curled, body imprint stamped on ‘her’ side of the bed forevermore. His giddiness in the moment nearly made him laugh but containing it, he settled beside her, spare blanket at their feet. His hand went to her forehead, thumb in gentle circles between her eyebrows.

It was gone.

He had her back.

And he wasn’t going to waste a minute of the time they had left.

Which was a lot longer than they’d had mere hours earlier.

He didn’t fall asleep for hours.

Watching her breathe.

&&&&&&&&&&

Neither should have been awake but when Mulder opened his eyes, he found himself staring at an empty pillow and equally empty bed. Squinting towards the dawn-grey living room and the darkened bathroom, he looked over his shoulder, finding his target standing by the open window, leaning on the frame.

Rolling over, he tucked the pillow under his head, yawning, then watching her for a minute before she felt his eyes on her and turned towards him, quiet.

His mind was open and slow, filters off, walls down, and in that very moment, the only thing he had left in the world to say was “I love you.”

Her slow spreading smile lit up the darkening room, thunder rumbling as a storm moved in. It stopped just shy of a full-on grin, then dropped back to slightly upturn lip curl, sigh deep, eyes closing for a moment to collect the proper words from the universe, before sending them drifting across to him slow and steady, “and I … finally have the time … to love you back.”

Mulder’s smile spread at the same speed hers did, pushing into the pillow, squashing face glowing, “is this another one of our moments?”

“They are all our moments from now on, Mulder. All of them.”