#hey person who corrected me and said february is the most depressing month of the year. i get it now.

[aggressionbread]

i need to make more small creative projects that are purely for myself. between the pressure to create things i can monetize and all my personal projects right now being ambitious and time consuming, i feel like i'm going to explode

[jadekitty777]

Fate’s Arrow: Chapter One

Today’s entry I actually started before Valentine’s Day, and it was supposed to be for the holiday. But I fell behind on my goal line - then FG week was announced with the exact theme I was using for the entry I decided I would repurpose it for the shipweek instead.

And I still didn’t finish this one.

So I’m cheating a little bit. Unfortunately, for as great as I have done for the week (and I won’t lie, I’m very impressed with myself) a month to do seven stories is VERY demanding for me. I’m just not fast enough nor do I have enough free time to make it happen without my quality dipping. And I want y’all to read a product I’m proud of.

SO, all this to say... that this is the first chapter of this tale. I will readdress it at a future time, but I hope you enjoy this one!

Day 4: Soulmates

Rating: K+

Pairing: Qrow/Clover

Word Count: 1.4k

Ao3 Link: Chapter One

Summary: It was said to be the work of Fate: A date etched one’s wrist, in the color of another's eyes, that foretold a destined meeting with one's soulmate.

Qrow took one look at his and decided the person with teal eyes he was meant to encounter on February 14th was more trouble than they were worth. [Modern Soulmate AU]

Qrow was pretty sure when he was born, Fate took one look at him, laughed hysterically, and then, like the conniving mistress She was, etched in the color of his other half’s irises what had to be the most ironic date in the world to find his soulmate:

February, 14th

That’s all he got. A day and an eye color. Nothing more, nothing less. Not even the year – for all he knew, he’d met his soulmate before he could even talk.

He thumbed at his wristband, where below the teal green ink was hidden. Then scoffed at himself when he realized what he was doing.

Soulmates, pah! What good was a soulmate, anyways? He’d seen what it had done to his best friend, how Tai had practically danced on Cloud 9 for five years only to lose Summer and trade in all that joy for Stage 5 depression instead. There was nothing romantic or fulfilling about that. It was just sad. And to think the same could happen to him?

Qrow was pretty sure he had enough problems to fill out the Dignostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders himself, thank you very much.

He reached across the bathroom sink, plucking out his contact lenses from their case and placing them in either eye. He blinked rapidly a few times to get used to the feeling, looking into the now blue orbs staring back at him.

He had no intention of being a pawn of Fate whom was already twittering away over destining them to meet on the so called “Day of Love”.

He set the case aside, gave himself one more appraising look, before heading out the door.

Besides, with his luck, even if he did find them, his soulmate wouldn’t even like him.

~

Tai was intent on giving him hell for it – just like every year before.

“I just don’t understand why you insist on making yourself unhappy.” He was saying as he slowed the car down for a stop light.

Qrow looked up from the emails he was riffling through (mostly junk about it being the ‘Last day to buy for his one and only!’), to frown towards the blond. “Hey, who says I’m unhappy?”

Tai rolled his own naturally blue eyes at him. “Oh, I don’t know, why don’t we ask Jack Daniels?”

He rolled his eyes right back. “Just because I knock back a few every now and again-”

“Every now and again? Qrow, for awhile, it was almost every night!”

“Yeah, and I got better. What more do you want from me?” He huffed. As the light turned green and they started moving again, he added, “What does this have to do with anything, anyways?”

“Because I don’t want to see you like that again man! It was, scary.” Tai brow had furrowed with stress, a crinkling at the edges of his eyes that made it look like he might cry.

Gods, Qrow hated it that expression. It made his gut twist in unpleasant ways.

So, he looked out the window instead. “And what, finding my soulmate will be the cure to my alcoholism?”

“No, but it would be something positive for you. Which you do need more of in your life.” He replied, taking a right onto Beacon Boulevard.

Leafless trees framed either side of the street. Last night’s snowfall was still heaped heavily into the knots of trunks and today’s sun caused the icicles clinging to the branches to shine brightly. They only had a few houses to go before they pulled up to the curb of their destination – a moderately sized two-story house that sheltered a rather unusual collective within its walls. Oz’s Home Away From Home was a group home for recently orphaned kids as well as teenagers who fell out of unfavorable foster home situations. The facility was meant to provide a safe space for kids to recover from or deal with trauma and grief rather than immediately allow the government social workers to chuck them into the system and forget about their pain.

Having been fosters themselves during a time when the organization was an even more unfavorable mess, Tai and Qrow had both been volunteering for nearly a decade now at Oz’s. They came by every other Saturday, working with the kids there to rehabilitate or counsel them. It was difficult, trying to instill hope into the children when Qrow knew they felt at their lowest. He’d been there right along with them once, and hoped that the man they could see now acted as an example that things did get better. That there was still a future out there for them.

Tai pulled the break and cut the engine, but that did nothing for his motormouth. “Look, all I’m saying is, are you really going to be satisfied letting the opportunity to meet your soulmate pass you by?”

He shrugged as he unbuckled his seatbelt.  “There’s plenty of people who don’t have a date on their wrist and they seem to make it through life just fine. I don’t see why I’d be any different.” He threw open the door, adding as he got out. “Just ‘cause I have one doesn’t mean I need them.”

“It’s not-”

He slammed the door closed before he had to hear anymore.

He enjoyed the blissful silence for all of two seconds, when Tai got out from the other side, “You bast-”

This time he was saved by the front door flying open. “Oscar-!” He heard Oz yelling from inside.

But it did nothing to pause the freckled-faced boy from running down the steps of the stoop, calling brightly, “Mr. Qroooow!”

Qrow grinned, swooping up the little five-year-old in his arms and lifting him high just like he liked. “Hey you lil’ rascal.”

He giggled holding his arms out. “I’m the crow now.”

“That you are.” He laughed. As he peered past the boy, he could see Ozpin making his way over.

It was easy to tell from his unusually rumpled appearance that it had probably been a hard morning for the caretaker. “Sorry, he got away from me.”

“No need to be sorry, I can’t think of a more wonderful greeting.” Tai said as he made his way around the car. He held out his hands, letting Qrow deposit Oscar into them.

“Mr. Long!” The boy immediately started fiddling with the fringed ends of Tai’s yellow scarf. “Did you bring gifts?”

The blond made a show of thinking really hard. “Hmmmm, I can’t recall. Maybe we need to check the trunk and see?”

“Need help carrying anything?”

The new voice was unexpected and had Qrow looking towards the door, eyebrows rising at the man coming down the steps. He remembered Ozpin mentioning a new volunteer would be joining them today – a friend of a friend, was what he had said. But he hadn’t mentioned more than that. Like, perhaps, the slightly more interesting fact that he was from the military.

From head to toe, the new fellow was decked out in the white uniform of a navy officer, even the circular, wire-frame sunglasses. The only thing he didn’t have was the low-brimmed cap. Probably didn’t want to contain that slightly ridiculous updo he had, which reminded Qrow of a crest of feathers certain birds had. Something glinted on his chest, catching his eye, and he tried to make out what it was.

“Any help would be appreciated!” Tai called from where he was trying to juggle Oscar and get the trunk open. The new guy hurried over to relinquish him of the boy which turned out to be a bit more difficult when he refused to let go of Tai’s scarf.

Oz joined in the effort, helping to untangle them, and once he had a good hold of Oscar, the soldier stepped back to stand beside Qrow instead.

It gave him a chance to get a better look at the medallion on the collar of his shirt. He snorted as he realized it was a brooch in the shape of a four-leaf clover. “Hey shamrock, I think you decorated for the wrong holiday.”

“Huh? Oh, you mean this?” He flicked one edge as he adjusted his grip on Oscar. “Nah this is just an old keepsake of mine.”

“Mr. Bee? Can I wear your glasses again?” The little boy asked, wide-eyed and hopeful.

“Sure kid.” He lowered his head so he could reach up and take them.

Qrow snorted again. “Bee?”

“Ebi, actually. Clover Ebi.” The other man corrected, looking up at him with a grin that was almost blinding.

But only almost – and almost just wasn’t enough.

As he stared into the other’s teal green eyes, Qrow swore the sudden rushing in his ears was the sound of Fate pouring Herself a glass of well-deserved wine.

Oh fuck.

[richiefuckfacetozier]

Chapter 16: My Funny Valentine

Story: It’s Not My Fault

Note: I commissioned the incredible @soft-hart to draw the Valentine’s date. I am in awe. 

Pairing: Richie Tozier and Eddie Kaspbrak

Located on Archive of our own

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

Title - My Funny Valentine by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (Listen to Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra Version)

Eddie hated Valentine’s Day with a passion. He thought for sure if he ever got into a relationship, his partner would agree it is a dumb pointless holiday. Except Eddie was not such a lucky person. Instead, he was dating the cheesiest, most dramatic person ever. Which meant they had to celebrate a holiday that was so sappy and gross it was not even romantic to him.

Richie basically guilt tripped him into celebrating Valentine’s Day. He claimed to be tired of their secret relationship and wanted to go on a real date out of town. Eddie understood those feelings and agreed their situation sucked. They were spoiled during the Vermont trip when they got to kiss, hold hands, and be a couple. Richie wanted to experience that freely again and so did Eddie. He tended to feel this overwhelming dread that Richie would leave him over their closeted relationship, so if he had to suffer the romance for a day to keep things fresh then he would.

Richie also pointed out that they will have been dating for 5 months exactly on February 14. Which seemed to be a cruel twist of fate for someone who hates Valentine’s Day. His main reason for disliking the holiday stems from the years his mother has endured being alone. He would make her Valentine’s Day gifts or bring her single flowers, but when she smiled her thanks it never reached her eyes. Apparently, his father really loved celebrating every holiday with as much flash as he could. Constantly embarrassing his mother but she loved all the same. He found it hard to believe she would tolerate that kind of behavior, except his aunts confirmed his father was a corny man.

Eddie snatched up the blank Valentine’s Day card he got his mother, trying to think of something to write. He had gone with Stanley and Bill to Mr. Keene’s pharmacy to pick out cards for their mothers. His two friends had the advantage of picking any generic card since they still had fathers who would pick up the slack of this stupid holiday. Eddie took longer trying to pick a nice one that would not hurt her feelings.

As they were browsing the cards, Eddie noticed Stanley take a second card and admire it with a side smile.

“Which are you going to buy?” Eddie asked curiously.

“What?” Stanley glanced at him in confusion.

Eddie pointed at the cards, “Which one are you giving your mom?”

“Oh, this one.” Stanley held up a card that read ‘Mom, Thank you for always being there. We both know you love me more than dad, just admit it.’

Eddie smiled, “Are you giving the second one to your dad?” Eddie reached for the card to read the inside but Stanley drew his hand away.

“No,” He said in embarrassment. Stanley was not someone who blushed often, but his cheeks were definitely rosy.

“Stan, are you b-blushin’?” Bill strolled over and pinched his cheek teasingly. Stanley smacked his hand away with a sneer.

“Don’t be like Richie.” He said seriously.

“Who is she?” Bill’s face was filled with giddy mirth as he ruffled Stanley’s curls, receiving another hand smack and a glare.

“Or he!” Eddie corrected Bill with a shove. “You should know better Big Bill.” Eddie tried to grab the card again except Stanley’s long arms extended out of his reach. He was attempting to put the card on the top shelf as far from Eddie as possible.

Bill managed to capture the card, Stanley tried to take it back, letting out an angry shout in the process. He handed it quickly to Eddie like they were kids playing a game of keep away.

“This isn’t funny! Stop guys!” Stanley yelled trying to reach around Eddie and get the card.

“Boys!” Mr. Keene’s voice came from the register. “Knock it off.”

Eddie looked at the front of the card. It had two cows gazing at each other with heart eyes. He opened the inside which read,‘You moooooove me’  The card was ripped out of his hands and Stanley put it back roughly. He was livid as he marched toward the register bought the other Valentine’s card and went outside. Eddie felt a bit guilty they had teased him. Even being best friends, Stanley was a pretty private person that got embarrassed easily. Eddie and him had the easily embarrassed part in common. Stanley usually hides it well, therefore, he must like this person a lot to have gotten so defensive.

Eddie grabbed the cow card and a blank one to write his own Valentine’s message for his mother later. He bought the two cards and headed outside where Stanley was standing alone.

“Stan?” Eddie had an idea of who the person might be. There is only one friend who would laugh at a farm animal valentine. Eddie was worried about pushing him with this new knowledge.

“What.” Stanley bit out. “Going to make fun of me more? Go ahead. It was stupid anyway.”

Eddie tentatively handed him the cow card. Stanley looked at it and his expression softened a little as he took it hesitantly. His eyes met Eddie’s warily, “You know who it is, don’t you.”

Eddie smiled encouragingly, “I think Mike would love it.”

“It’s for Mike?!” Bill yelled in surprise when he walked out of the store.

Stanley glared at Eddie, “Thanks for that. I hope Trashmouth makes you wear matching couples shirts and serenades you in front of a giant audience for Valentine’s Day. I know how much you LOVE public attention.”

Eddie laughed to himself thinking about how livid Stanley had been. When he tried to push the subject of Mike and him further, he shook his head saying it was complicated and to drop it.

For the morning of the dreaded holiday, Eddie’s biggest concern was figuring out how to convince his mother to let him leave the house. She had barely given him any freedom since he tried to come out. They had not spoken to each other, or rather, he would not speak to her. Not at dinner or after school, he avoided her whenever he was in the house. There was a guilt that washed over him when he saw her hurt eyes, but if she wouldn’t let him even say the word ‘gay’ then he would not say anything at all.

He decided to go the easiest route for escaping the house, which was to sneak out without her seeing. He would place the Valentine’s Day card on the table downstairs and walk directly out the door. Every part of him wanted to not write her anything but he knew how lonely she would feel when he was not home.

He quickly wrote down on the Valentine’s card, ‘No matter what we go through, I will love you. Even if we don’t understand each other, I will love you. If you stop loving me, I will still love you’. A little on the depressing side but that has been Eddie’s mood lately anyway.

It was 6:00 AM, an hour earlier than when his mother wakes up on weekends. He put a coat on over his pajamas, grabbed his boots, and backpack with the outfit he was wearing for the date. He tiptoed downstairs, as quietly as possible, put the Valentine’s card on the kitchen table, then carefully walked out the door.

When he arrived at Richie’s, he couldn’t decide whether to use the key Mrs. Tozier’s gave him or go through Richie’s bedroom window. If Mr. Tozier caught him, it would be a disaster. He decided to go the safe route and climb through the window. Richie had left it open a crack, probably just for him. Eddie threw the bag inside then hoisted himself into the first story room. He landed with a bit of a thump on the messy floor. Richie was snoring away, his gangly arms sprawled out covering almost the whole bed.

Eddie slipped out of his boots and coat, then crawled into bed with him. Richie’s body immediately latched onto Eddie’s warmth as if by instinct. He held him tight like a stuffed animal. Eddie put an arm around Richie’s shirtless torso, feeling butterflies in his stomach at the contact. Richie hugged him tighter, throwing his leg over him. His eyes were still closed, which meant he was either half awake or aggressively dreaming.

“Hey Rich?” Eddie whispered.

He only mumbled a little. Eddie decided on going to sleep instead of waking him up. When he did wake up for the second time that day, it was to lips being planted on every part of his face. The lips kissed both his cheeks, his nose, his forehead, and his neck. When he smiled sleepily, the lips moved to his mouth. They were minty, which meant Richie brushed his teeth just so he could kiss him good morning. Eddie didn’t open his eyes as he deepened the kiss, letting the feeling and smell of Richie engulf him. Richie’s hands moved under Eddie’s pajama shirt. His fingers were warm against his cold skin. Since Eddie was always freezing, this gave him goosebumps. He melted into the touch as Richie slowly traced small circles up and down his spine, making his skin tingle. Eddie rolled himself on top of Richie wanting to be as close as possible. He ran his hands through Richie’s hair receiving a satisfying moan from the man beneath him.

Eddie pulled out of the kiss to open his eyes. Richie looked disheveled but in a frustratingly beautiful way. “Morning, babe.” Eddie said groggily.

“You looked so cute, I had to wake you up and I am glad I fucking did.” Richie grinned goofily still running his hands across Eddie’s skin distractingly. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Eddie rolled off him and shoved his face into the pillow in anguish. “Ugh…don’t remind me.”

“Hey!” Richie poked his side making Eddie squirm. “You have to be receptive to all romantic shit I say to you today. That’s part of our deal.”

Eddie peeked an eye at him begrudgingly. “Fine. Happy Losertine’s Day, loser.”

Richie kissed the back of his neck, putting his hands low on Eddie’s back.  “My hands are cold. Can I stick them down your pants to warm them up?”

Eddie groaned into the pillow. “If I have to endure horrible pick up lines, I am going back to sleep.”

“How do you like your sausage in the morning… scrambled or blown?”

Eddie turned to him with a sly smile. He brought his hands to Richie’s sides and started tickling him. This immediately made him start howling with laughter and trying to wiggle away. “Have mercy, Eds!” Eddie moved his fingers quickly over Richie’s stomach, loving the barking laugh erupting from him. Richie got enough control over him to grab his hands and pin them above him. He hovered over Eddie with his legs on either side of him.

Eddie’s breathing became ragged as he saw the way Richie was looking at him. His eyes blown out and needy. Eddie licked his lips racking his eyes down and back up Richie’s body. This seemed to be the wrong thing to do because Richie let go of his hands and got off the bed.

Eddie looked at him in confusion, suddenly worried. “Are you ok? Did I…um…make you uncomfortable? I’m sorry.”

“Are you kidding me? You were being sexy as fuck just now. But I need to shower and we both have to get ready.”

Eddie rolled his eyes at being called sexy. Then he smirked as Richie went to open his bedroom door, towel, and clothes in hand.

“I think I’ll join you, Rich.”

Richie choked and sputtered looking at him in disbelief. “What?”

Eddie got off the bed and walked toward him, “I didn’t take a shower this morning either. So I’ll join you.” He pulled a barely breathing Richie out of the room and toward the bathroom.

Eddie got dressed in a nice button up light blue shirt with dark jeans. He wore the rainbow socks Richie got him as a joke a couple days ago and tied the laces of his nice snow boots that would cover them.

Richie wore a black v-neck that Eddie made him buy a couple weeks ago with jeans. Richie looked so attractive that Eddie wanted to kiss him some more. Then he put on a colorful Hawaiian button up. Eddie laughed and rolled his eyes.

“I can’t let you get too distracted by my sexiness with this v-neck.” Richie wiggled his eyebrows. “Gotta keep your head in the game.”

“What game?” Eddie laughed incredulously.

Richie got right up in his face, brought their lips so close they were brushing each other as he whispered, “The game of romance, my rosy redvine.”

Eddie whispered back, “We will lose that game because I hate romance.”

“I know it makes it more fun for me.” Richie smiled and kissed him quickly.

When they got outside, Richie opened the passenger door for him then ran to the driver’s side. He turned the heat on high and reached into his pocket to grab something. “Alright, put this on.” Richie handed him a bandana.

Eddie frowned at it in confusion. “Why am I wearing a bandana?”

“Like a blindfold!” He said excitedly.

Eddie sighed at Richie’s childishness. “For how long?”

“An hour.” He grinned.

Eddie groaned throwing the bandana in his face. “No. I don’t like surprises. You know that.”

“Awwww, come on Eddie! You said I could do as much romantic crap to you today as I want.”

Eddie pointed at him, “I said that on the condition I don’t get hurt or murdered.”

“I am not going to let you get hurt!” Richie whined.

“What about murdered?”

“Eddie! You are just going to sit in the car, with a blindfold on until we get to where we are going.”

Eddie looked at him defiantly then snatched the bandana back to tie around his eyes. “Fine, but you better have brought snacks. I didn’t have breakfast.”

“Do you even know me? I have to eat every two minutes.” Richie waved his hand in front of Eddie’s face and when he was satisfied that he couldn’t see, drove out of the driveway.

The hour ride was really relaxing for Eddie. Richie’s usual loud rock music was replaced by ballad love songs. Richie had bought him a giant chocolate bar that he was eating along with an orange. A very balanced breakfast.

He wouldn’t admit it, but not knowing where they were going was a little exciting. His imagination was coming up with a ton of possibilities.

“Amusement park?” He guessed.

“We don’t have any within an hour near us, fool.”

“Fancy restaurant?”

Richie scoffed, “With my invisible money, yes.”

Eddie huffed out and decided to yell out a silly possibility, “One of those Gay Pride parades.”

Richie laughed, “No. But what we are doing can be considered gay.”

“How so?”

“Because we are together.”

Eddie tried to hit him but since he couldn’t see, missed and hit the stereo making the music skip a beat. Richie laughed at him putting his arm out so Eddie could hit him for real. Which he did. “I’m going to kick your ass.”

“Please do.”

When Richie finally parked at their mysterious place and let Eddie take his blindfold off, he was super confused. He got out of the car and the cold was even harsher than Derry.

“Are we closer to the coast?” Eddie took in their surroundings. It was a nice town with buildings similar to Derry’s but way more shops and people milling about.

“Nope! We are by Kennebec River.” Richie said gleefully.

“In Augusta? Our state’s capital?” Eddie spun to look at his thrilled boyfriend. “That’s so random.”

“I did research. It’s like the second most accepting gay-friendly city in the state.” Richie took in the town with a huge smile.

“You did research?” Eddie looked at him impressed. “Where’s the first?”

“Portland, Maine. But that’s about 2 and a half hours from Derry.”

“So we are in a gay-friendly town because…” Richie took Eddie’s hand, kissed it and pulled him along.

Eddie was in shock. Richie really did just want to spend a day as a normal couple. Walk around holding hands and freely kissing each other when they wanted too.

As they walked around the shops, there were tons of couples out and about. They were all straight but no one really cared when Eddie put his arm around Richie’s waist. Some people even smiled as Richie placed his own around Eddie’s shoulders and kissed the side of his face.

They found a sweet little cafe to eat at with decent prices. Eddie held Richie’s hand the whole time, which made it hard to eat his burger, not that Richie cared. Eddie paid, much to Richie’s protesting, but the boy had been paying for them too much all day.

They strolled through downtown Augusta and got to the river. Eddie stood by the edge listening to the quiet flow of the water. He was thinking about how easy today had been, none of the usual stress of being together. Any nerves about their relationship practically non-existent. It was like a dream he never wanted to be woken from. Unlike Derry, the nightmare he is trapped in.

Richie came up behind him, hugging him right below his belly button. Even through all the layers, he was wearing, he felt his body immediately heat up. Richie put his lips by his ear, nibbling at it lightly, “What are you thinking about, my tasty Toblerone.”

“Whether you will ever run out of candy nicknames.” Eddie retorted quickly.

“Nope, never going to happen.” Richie kept kissing him languidly.

Eddie sighed still staring deeply at the water, wondering if he could throw himself into its icy depths before letting slip what he was actually bothering him. “I’m thinking about the only thing I ever think about.”

“Me?”

He refused to answer because giving Richie the satisfaction of hearing yes was not worth the teasing. Richie turned Eddie around still keeping his arms securely on him. He moved his hands in the back pocket of Eddie’s jeans.

Eddie placed his arms on Richie’s shoulders with a smirk, “Are your hands cold? Or are you grabbing my ass?”

“Can it be both?” Richie leaned their foreheads together.

Eddie’s eyes refused to meet Richie’s. He played with his scarf absentmindedly, trying to ignore any insecurities and fears threatening to surface. He wanted to stay in this moment and trying to push his worry aside, but all he ever does is worry. “I’m thinking about how I wish every day was like this.”

Richie shrugged unconcerned, “It can be or, rather, it will be.”

Eddie played with the zipper on Richie’s jacket. He honestly wished his mouth would cease speaking his mind sometimes. Except the words started tumbling out before he could prevent them. “Does it bother you that we can’t be publically out?” He flinched a little at his own pathetic question.

“Yes.” Richie said immediately making Eddie’s stomach clench. “And no.”

He sighed miserably, “What does that mean?”

Richie dug his forehead into Eddie’s harder, which made him look up and concentrate on his words. “Yes, because I want us to be our true selves. No, because as long as I am with you it doesn’t really matter.”

Eddie’s heart soared and he tried to hold back the tears of happiness that threatened to fall. “I love you so much, you know that right?”

“I love you too, Eds.” Richie went to kiss him but he pulled away making Richie chase his lips a little.

He giggled at the boy’s ridiculousness. “Like I love you with every wheezing breath I take.” They both laughed.

“I love you with all my blindness.” Eddie brought his lips forward to kiss him gently. He retracted one of his hands and reached into his pocket for something. He took out a small black stringed up bag.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, babe.” Richie removed his hands to open the bag. Inside was a silver chain necklace. On the end of it were two letters, E and R. Richie put it around his neck trying to lock it on.

“Help.” He groaned. “My fingers are too big.”

Eddie laughed, took his gloves off and went behind Richie to hook the necklace. When he got it on, he went back to facing Richie placing his hand over the necklace that lined up perfectly with his heart.

“So you know I am always close to your heart.”

“Oh Eds,” They stared at each other. “Don’t you know by now? You are my heart.”

Eddie thought his brain would burst at those words. He was absolutely speechless. Richie was cheesy and inappropriate and yet perfect in every way. Eddie did the only thing he could think of. He kissed him hard. Richie was surprisingly slow to get into the kiss but laughed at the enthusiasm. He all but whimpered when Eddie licked his bottom lip, eliciting a moan from Eddie.

“Can we go to your car?” Eddie said desperately. Richie did not respond, he just grabbed his arm and pulled Eddie along.

When Richie parked in his driveway after dropping Eddie off, he put his hand over his smiling lips trying to calm himself down. He was on cloud nine from how incredible their day had been. His heart was pounding and stomach fluttering just how he used to feel at the beginning of their relationship. It seemed miraculous that Eddie could make him feel so light and wonderful.

He got out of the car and ran toward his house and unlocked the front door. He planned to brush his teeth and go to bed immediately because he was so tired. Although, with how much adrenaline he was on, he wondered if he would be able to sleep at all.

He opened the door to his father sitting on the couch watching television. Richie rolled his eyes out of habit and strolled right past him.

“Richard.”

He wanted to keep walking. The last thing he needed was his father to ruin the best day. Except instead of continuing toward his room, he stopped. There was something menacing in his father’s speaking voice that always made him listen to him. Even if his father said he never listened, Richie always did.

“I’m tired.” Richie replied loudly. The louder his voice, the angrier he could make the man.

“We need to talk.” He said sternly.

“Wentworth,“ Richie sighed deeply. "I really don’t care what you want to talk about with me right now.”

“Look at me, young man.”

He crossed his arms, thinking he would ignore the request and go to bed. After their conversation, he certainly wished he had.

Richie turned around as annoyingly slow as he could. His father was holding up a small piece of paper. Richie squinted his eyes, even with his strong prescription, seeing was not his forte. He walked toward him slowly then froze. His throat dried up and his stomach felt like it was going to extricate the burger he ate that afternoon. The best meal of his life because he was holding Eddie’s hand the whole time was about to betray him.

Because in his father’s hand was not just a piece of paper.

It was a photo.

A photo of him and Eddie kissing as if no one else in the world was there.

Mature Ending

By @slashpalooza

@dandeliontozier @sam-i-am2468 @reddie-brasil @takemetothetide @ohheydatsme @slashpalooza @averym14 @fucking-reddie

[dylanobrienisbatman]

100 Questions

it’s long so it’s under the cut, but man was this fun. thanks for the tag @the-most-beautiful-broom ♥ i’ll tag my loves (if you want to haha this is a lot) @raven-reyes-of-sunshine @perhalta @dracovengeance @hedaalicia and @amihanmayari

1. What is your nickname? Bails

2. How old are you? 24

3. What is your birth month? February

4. What is your zodiac sign? Aquarius!

5. What is your favorite color? green (Aw hey linds, same !!) 

6. What’s your lucky number? I was number 8 for marching band every single year (F8 for flute 8) except my junior year, and my junior year we had a shit show, so im calling that. 

7. Do you have any pets? 5 dogs back home in seattle but none where i live now or in NY when i get back

8. Where are you from? everywhere and nowhere. my dads military. but im american! 

9. How tall are you? 5’ 5″

10. What shoe size are you? 7

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? A whole lot, but they’re not always all with me. 

12. Are you random? not really. im pretty set in my routines and very comfortably a home body

13. Last person you texted? my best friend @broadwaybound2016

14. Are you psychic in any way? not even a little tbh

15. Last TV show watched? The Bold Type (WATCH IT ITS AMAZING)

16. Favorite movie? I’m not really sure but i just watched Love, Simon and im literally just crying because of it right now so im gonna go with that until further notice

17. Favorite show from your childhood? probably Lizze McGuire

18. Do you want children? Nope

19. Do you want a church wedding? I dont really want to get married

20. What is your religion? agnostic? maybe? im not religious, and not very spiritual. I love spirituality, things like crystals and stuff, but i try not to appropriate those things from groups/cultures who actually use them. I’d love to learn more about them and be someone who actually knew how to practice but, again, i dont want to step on toes culturally and take things that aren’t mine to take

21. Have you ever been to the hospital? a lot! a ton of surgeries on my ears

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? nope, im literally a goody two shoes

23. How is life? lovely

24. Baths or showers? showers!

25. What color socks are you wearing? i dont really wear socks? i like those little half socks. I’m not wearing any rn

26. Have you ever been famous? nope.

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? probably. i’d love to have a voice, and if it was for doing something i love, i cant think of anything better than getting to share my passion with the world like that. But it would definitely be a lot of pressure

28. What type of music do you like? i’m into literally anything. I love Hayley Kiyoko, the 1975, big fan of just basic pop like ariana grande and charlie puth, Harry Styles’s album is a masterpiece, Shawn Mendes, 5th Harmony. i love anything.

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? Yes!!

30. How many pillows do you sleep with? just two!

31. What position do you usually sleep in? on my stomach

32. How big is your house? my house at home is a 5 bedroom 3 bath, my apt in amsterdam rn is just a room in a hotel type place with my own bathroom, and my apt in nyc is a studio

33. What do you typically have for breakfast? i literally hardly ever eat breakfast, but i love a bagel

34. Have you ever left the country? I’m in europe RIGHT NOW! lol

35. Have you ever tried archery? once, i was terrible

36. Do you like anyone? Not right now, but i might want too

37. Favorite swear word? i love the word fuck. it’s got so much you can do with it. i swear like a sailor.

38. When do you fall asleep? ummmmmm? whenever i guess lol 

39. Do you have any scars? A few small ones. a decent one on my knee from falling off my bike when i was 8

40. Sexual orientation? Bisexual

41. Are you a good liar? excellent

42. What languages would you like to learn? ALLLL the languages. I’d love to learn native hawai’ian. i spent my high school years there and the culture is so incredible, and i was so welcomed into it by my friends who were from there, i’d love a chance to really connect too it and try to learn that. 

43. Top 10 songs? Oh boy... im just gonna bullet these because i cant decide the order but this is the general

the way i am - charlie puth

young god - halsey 

rather be - clean bandit

feelings - hayley kiyoko

woman - harry styles 

make me feel - janelle monáe 

six inch heels - beyonce 

get right witcha - migos

my my my - troye sivan 

nice for what - drake 

44. Do you like your country? i’m torn at the moment. I hate tr*mp and everything him and his stand for, but i think america can be a wonderful place. 

45. Do you have friends from the web? Yes!! <3

46. What is your personality type? MBTI: INTP 

47. Hogwarts House? Ravenclaw

48. Can you curl your tongue? yes!

49. Pick one fictional character you can relate to? I am Hermione and Hermione is me. (also i really relate a lot to Lexa from the 100, which... is interesting. the way she suppresses feelings, her generally logical approach to things, the way she is totally useless around pretty girls.) 

50. Left or right handed? right!

51. Are you scared of spiders? If they’re like, big spiders yes. or if they come out of nowhere. im way more scared of cockroaches tho.

52. Favorite food? For some reason this question has been really hard for me lately? idk. i love a good indian style curry, and tacos? 

53. Favorite foreign food? Indian!

54. Are you a clean or messy person? I’m CLEAN, but im messy. i feel like cleanliness and orderliness have been misconstrued to mean the same thing, but clean is to dirty as orderly is to messy. I’m clean and messy, i am not very orderly, and i am NOT dirty. 

55. If you could switch your gender for a day, what would you do? Experience a walk down the street in a city at night where im not afraid

56. What color underwear? black

57. How long does it take for you to get ready? not too long, but it sometimes takes me a long ass time to pick an outfit 

58. Do you have much of an ego? It’s as big as it should be. 

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? i suck on them until i can bite them

60. Do you talk to yourself? Constantly.

61. Do you sing to yourself? Hell yeah

62. Are you a good singer? i’m decent but i need another voice to match with. on my own i can’t carry a tune. 

63. Biggest Fears? failure. and heights. 

64. Are you a gossip? I can be, but never about like.. bad things. I like to talk about how this friend or that friend did x y z cool thing but im not like “omg did you hear so and so hooked up with so and so” 

65. Are you a grammar nazi? Not really because i can’t spell for shit

66. Do you have long or short hair? Short-ish? i cut my hair in march of LAST YEAR and then trimmed it again this year and i want it to fucking grow

67. Can you name all 50 states of America? i would definitely forget some

68. Favorite school subject? History

69. Extrovert or Introvert? Pretty introverted. 

70. Have you ever been scuba diving? Nah, im not allowed too for medical reasons

71. What makes you nervous? when I see kids wandering and their parents not noticing (okay im keeping that because me too, but also travelling? like the in-transit part of travel, catching busses/trains/planes makes me panic)

72. Are you scared of the dark? not at all

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? i try not too unless its major. usually its unintentional or the mistake is irrelevant to the flow of the conversation/situation  

74. Are you ticklish? Yes, but i hate being tickled unless its like, my sister or my dad

75. Have you ever started a rumor? No

76. Have you ever been out of your home country? Yes i have lol (linds, ily, we DEFINITELY have been over this already)

77. Have you ever drank underage? a little, but not until i was like 19, and then i was in europe for 6 months, so i didnt REALLY drink underage until i was like... less than 6 months to 21

78. Have you ever done drugs? Pot pretty regularly here in Amsterdam, and i’ve done shrooms

79. What do you fantasize about? getting a beautiful loft in a big city (preferrably london or NYC), with a kick ass job, a dog, and maybe a girlfriend with huge curly hair.

80. How many piercings do you have? Four

81. Can you roll your R’s? Yep!

82. How fast can you type? I just took a little online quiz that said i can type 72 words per minute with 93% accuracy? 

83. How fast can you run? lol I don’t run (same linds... same)

84. What color is your hair? brown!

85. What color are your eyes? Green!

86. What are you allergic to? I’m a bit lactose intolerant and pineapple makes my tongue itch?

87. Do you keep a journal? no, but i wish i did sometimes 

88. Are you depressed about anything? I’m not depressed “about anything”, im just generally someone who experiences a pretty mild case of depression.

89. Do you like your age? Yeah, i dig it.

90. What makes you angry? bigotry, ignorance, and spilling things. I spill drinks constantly, i spilled a WHOLE BOWL OF CEREAL ON MY FLOOR THE OTHER NIGHT.  

91. Do you like your own name? I didn’t used too but i really do now

92. Did you ever get a foreign object up your nose? not that i know of

93. Do you want a boy or a girl for a child? I don’t want kids. 

94. What talents do you have? i have a pretty great memory, but for random things i dont need 

95. Sun or moon? Moon <3

96. How did you get your name? My dad, he just liked it. My middle name was also my dad, he heard the name Jess on the movie A Man From Snowy River and he thought it was a nice like, nickname/pet name, so he gave me the middle name Ges (pronounced like Jess) with the intent of calling me that (it didnt stick), but he didn’t want anyone to think my middle name was Jessica, so he spelled it Ges.

97. Are you religious? I am not, but i have a lot of respect for the concept of religion, as long as its used for the real purpose, which is to make people feel peace and help people find love and comfort. 

98. Have you ever been to a therapist? I have not, but i shold

99. Color of your bedspread? White

100. Color of your room? White, with one black wall