#i actually played guitar from elementary to high school !!

[anchoeritic]

who’s gonna stop me? no one. it’s in my cart. being processed. being bought. gonna be in my room.

[bratzforchris]

hi lovely aves! i think this has been done before but could you do a one shot where the reader and luke are FWB and eventually admit their feelings to one another? it's basic i know but i love your writing sm💐🫧🪷

Fairytale

❃

Summary: Above

Pairing: Luke x feminine reader

Warnings: small mentions of sex/friends with benefits (nothing actually explicit)

Word Count: 1017

A/N: Thank you for the request! I strayed from the actual prompt a bit, so I hope it's okay!

❃

You never would have considered yourself a “friends with benefits” type of girl. Ever since you were young, you had always assumed you would be more of a fairytale person, dating a singular handsome prince and living happily ever after. You weren’t one for casual dating. 

So how the hell did you end up here? In the bed of your best friend of twelve years’ bed after having sex? Honestly, you were asking yourself the same question as you and Luke looked at each other, both too afraid to speak. It didn’t feel wrong, necessarily. It felt more like absolutely, completely, unexpected. 

You sighed, rolling over and thinking back on your “relationship”–if you could call it that–with Luke. 

You two had been best friends ever since you met in kindergarten. At the time, Luke had been the only other kid who could play guitar, making you instant best friends. Your friendship had grown throughout elementary and middle school, but high school had brought on new feelings. You and Luke had kissed a few times and gone on a few “dates”, but you both ultimately decided it was better to stay friends. Not that there had been anything wrong with either of you per say, but it was just better for your friendship if you weren’t also dating. 

Miraculously, you had both ended up at the same university, in the same major. Both you and Luke had been extremely excited, knowing this gave you the chance to still be best friends while also pursuing your own lives away from your hometown. You’d managed to stay friends, but never anything more than that. You always hung out in groups, never straying to go off on your own together. 

In October, you had started dating a lovely new boy. Or so it had seemed. He had been nice for the first few months of your relationship, absolutely spoiling you with gifts. Unfortunately for you, as the relationship progressed, it became clear that this particular boy hadn’t been who he said he was. He’d left you heartbroken and in your haze, you’d wandered over to Luke’s apartment. 

That was six months ago. The first night, Luke had simply held you and comforted you, cursing the guy to hell and back as you two laid on his couch watching Doctor Who. Slowly, it became a habit. You would go over to Luke’s apartment in the evening after your day of classes. You two would watch TV and make dinner together, laughing as best friends, just like old times. It had always been that, just friends. 

Even at the start of this evening, when you had shown up after a long day of working at the campus coffee shop and classes, everything had been normal. You and Luke had made

homemade pizzas and ate them on the couch, watching TV. You had turned to him during a sweet moment in one of the episodes, only to notice he was already looking at you. 

“Luke?” You questioned. 

“You know I would do anything for you, right Y/N?” he had asked, looking into your eyes earnestly. 

“...yeah?” You asked, unsure of where he was going with this. 

One thing had led to another and before you knew it, Luke was kissing you. You hadn’t pulled away; instead, you had leaned into it, kissing him back just as deeply. You couldn’t help it, but what you felt inside just felt right. Your body felt alive with the sparks you felt for Luke. You realized you had been denying yourself this whole time, squashing down your feelings so as not to lose your friendship. 

The blond had picked you up under your butt, carrying you to his bedroom. He hadn’t even bothered to turn on the light, simply laying you down on the bed before laying down with you. 

“You’re so goddamn beautiful.” he whispered beside you, carding his fingers through your hair. 

You blushed, rolling over to nuzzle into his chest. “Luke, stop.” You whined. 

“You are,” Luke mumbled, slowly running his hand up and into your shirt. “Is this okay?” he whispered. 

You nodded quickly, moaning softly at the feeling of his slightly calloused, but still soft hands undoing your bra. 

The sex had been perfect. Luke was soft and gentle and asked for consent before he did anything to you. There was a nagging feeling in the back of your mind, though. Even though being physically intimate with Luke felt right, were you willing to lose your best friend and your boyfriend at the same time if you two broke up? 

“Luke, stop!” You had exclaimed, bolting up. 

“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” the blond asked worriedly, gently rubbing your back. 

“No, I’m fine. It’s not that…” You trailed off. 

“Wanna tell me what’s up?” Luke asked softly, his blue eyes pleading gently. 

“I just. It’s hard to explain,” You said. “We agreed to stay friends in high school, Luke.”

“I know Y/N, I know. But we’ve grown since then. Can’t we give it a shot?” he asked quietly. 

“I can’t lose you as my best friend and my boyfriend if we break up…” You trailed off, nearly on the verge of tears. 

“You won’t,” Luke stated. “Because I, well, I love you. And I’m sure if you love me too, but I hope you do, because I want to be with you for life, Y/N. You’ve been by my side for years, and I’m so thankful for that.” the blond was nearly in tears by the time he had finished his small speech. 

“Oh Luke,” You said quietly, nearly crying yourself. “I love you too. And I’m sorry I’m being weird about it, but I do. I have for so long and I just squashed those feelings because I was scared of getting hurt.” You whispered. 

Luke leaned over, pulling you into a deep kiss. “It’s okay. You’re mine now, baby. All mine.”

You blushed and kissed your now-boyfriend back, smiling through the kiss. Maybe it wasn’t a typical fairytale, but Luke was mostly definitely your prince. 

[marvelandponder]

15Qs and 15As!

Thanks for the tag, Marvel, this sounds fun! Tagging: @smallcrystals, @digikate813, @eddiescorner, and @bevinbrand if she feels like it :) Don't dox yourself on the 'where were you born' question tho, y'all. We're better than that. Are you named after anyone? Two people! My Uncle Stephen and my Nana (maternal grandmother). My brother was named after my dad's high school best friends

When was the last time you cried? I think the last time was a couple weeks ago watching anime. I love a good cry, I've embraced that that's how I express a lot of emotions

Do you have kids? Nope! I'd like to someday, but all in due time.

What sports do you play/have you played? I'm not a team sports kind of girl anymore, but I played soccer as a kid and really enjoyed that.

Do you use sarcasm? Usually only obvious sarcasm. Bevin and I will often use excessively obvious sarcasm with each other to express love. A little linguistic game we play with each other. We never enjoy spending hours and hours on the phone together. So unlike us! Where would you get that idea?

What is the first thing you notice about people? First thing? I feel like my anxiety is charge of that: looking out for how friendly they seem, what they laugh at (if they do), how approachable they might be. I had pretty bad social anxiety disorder from like 14 - 22ish and human beings tend to do the social thing once or twice.

What is your eye color? Hazel! Looks brown but up close you can see there's a lot of green around my pupils, too.

Scary movies or happy endings? My media diet is heavily skewed towards happy endings but every now and then, nothing satisfies like a good tragedy.

Any talents? People know I like the writing thing! I'm also learning to draw now and picking up guitar again for the first time since before uni!

Where were you born? A hospital about... 30 - 40 minutes away from me? I don't live in that city anymore, and haven't since I was 3, but we stayed in the same general province!

Don't dox yourself, folks!

What are your hobbies? Writing, drawing, guitar, going for bike rides or walks. Geeking out by myself or with friends! I'm also starting to learn some German and pick up a few more cooking skills.

Do you have any pets? Nah, wish I did. My living situation doesn't allow for it. But my dad has a dog who I love so much and get to visit! And my sister has two cats who used to live with us that are excellent cuddlers.

How tall are you? Uhhhhh I think 5'11? To use ancient Tumblr Lingo: Tol, not smol

Favorite subject in school? In Elementary - Middle School, it was English, because reading and writing. In high school, Psychology, Legal Studies, Guitars, History, or Writer's Craft

Dream job? Cool question, I'mma over-complicate it! For my career, it's either one of two things: Creative and/or helping people. Add another axis onto that: Stability vs. freedom. I like stability. It helps me feel happy and builds self-esteem to build stuff up. So since most of the creative jobs I'd be down to try have a lack of stability (and often crappy working conditions), I decided to start with stability and helping people! My current job is actually the goal I set for myself to get into in 5 - 10 years. So. Whoops! Got in early! I can't stay beyond this year (covering a mat leave) but wow has it been good experience. And it's cool shit that I like to think supports people in building something good for themselves.

Not a ton of creativity though, and so what's cool about life is that the time horizon isn't just right now, forever. The job I'm in now is a dream job of mine based on the criteria I set out (stable, treats me right, and helps people), but I have other dream jobs I'd like to also try out!

For example: I'd like to become a published author! And I'd also like to learn storyboarding to maybe try being a storyboards artist someday, or some job in animation.

What I like about the job I have now, too, is that I still have enough energy in and around my job to have a life outside of it. So I can build the creative skills that'll lead to cool stuff and opportunities down the line.

Having multiple dream jobs I think is realistic. And just kinda fun to not only achieve one thing, but look forward to what else I can do!

[whatever-color-of-the-rainbow]

kate dalton headcanons? i love the nickname of cheese for chess!!

YIPPEE

They’re genderfluid and use they/them pronouns like 80% of the time, but they’re closeted about it

Can’t focus on anything they’re doing unless they’re listening to music

Will stay up until 3AM reading

They have autism and ADHD

On that note, their autism-dar is amazing. Out of the teammates, they’ve managed to clock Farrah, Annleigh, Mattie, and Eva so far.

Their top 3 Taylor Swift albums are Red, TTPD, and evermore

They and Chess would braid each other’s hair sometimes

Once they start talking, it’s not easy to get them to stop. Specifically when they’re either really passionate or really angry about something.

After Chess died, Kate started wearing her clothes. You know the hoodie they wear in Act 2? That was Chess’s favorite hoodie. And the beanie also belonged to her.

They like bowling, and they’re pretty good at it. They’re not as good as Reese, though. They go bowling together once a month.

As much as they love gymnastics, they absolutely hate gymnastics meets because they’re overstimulating.

AJR’s biggest fan (favorite albums are The Maybe Man and The Click)

Also Melissa Etheridge’s biggest fan because they’re both alto rockstar lesbians (favorite album is self-titled)

Super photogenic. Like, Eva will randomly take a candid picture of them and they’ll look gorgeous every single time.

Actually super sweet when they’re with those they care about (Chess, Reese, Eva, etc.). The only time they’re really a bitch is when the other person is being a bitch first.

After junior year, they quit cheerleading and go back to gymnastics

They have flannels in every imaginable color

They really like Halloween

On that note, they and Eva like doing matching couples’ costumes. So far their favorite was Gomez (Eva) and Morticia (Kate), with Tori (Kate) and Michael (Eva) from Solitaire as a close second.

A massive fan of silent reading time in elementary school

Their favorite color is green

They like making friendship bracelets

They took piano lessons throughout elementary school, but quit once they started getting serious about gymnastics and stopped having time for anything else. But they never got rid of the piano in their house, and they’re still pretty good. Sometimes they’ll play while Eva plays guitar.

Very protective of Mattie after the whole prison thing

Cat person

They avoid drugs and alcohol like the damn plague, especially after the murders. There’s just a lot of bad memories associated with it and Kate knows what a dark path Chess and Farrah went down.

They use humor and sarcasm to cope with trauma

They have two older sisters

And after said sisters left for college, Kate laid on their bedroom floor listening to “Come Back…Be Here” by Taylor Swift on repeat far more often than they care to admit.

They have a playlist for just about every occasion

Had a marriage pact with Chess. If they were both single by 30, they’d get married for convenience and have a cat named Monopoly.

They listen to “Let The Games Begin” by AJR before games and pep rallies because it’s a super high-energy song and hypes them up enough to be able to pretend they want to be there

It’s become a running joke that Kate borrowed their wardrobe from a ‘90s skater boy

Watched 10 Things I Hate About You one too many times growing up, and Kat Stratford became her role model. Which explains a lot.

Expanding on that last one, Kate was really excited for the Shakespeare unit in 10th grade English class because they were reading Taming of the Shrew, which inspired that movie. To say that they were pissed off once they actually started reading would be an understatement. Now they’re a Shakespeare hater.

Their favorite gymnastics event is floor

Eva fell first, Kate fell harder

They have a quality time love language

Solid A-B student

Meg from Hercules was their first fictional crush. Again, explains a lot.

Yesterday, Melissa Etheridge posted a video of herself singing Red Wine Supernova x I Want To Come Over. If Kate were to see this, they would lose their shit.

Sorry this took so long. I have a lot of headcanons and wanted to make sure I got at least most of them in there. Also most of these are projection.

[thephantomthiefneito]

ABOUT THE ADMIN!

I've realized I haven't spoken much about myself aside from my boundaries and guys know like nothing about me!! I know it's not required you know me when but I'm terrible at being dark and mysterious..

This is just gonna be random facts about me because I love to talk about myself

Basic Things To Know! +me yapping

⨳ I roleplay! I'm a literate/somewhat Novella roleplayer on discord. I can write most characters if I study them for a bit and I'm in the fandom but not Katsuki and Izuku for some reason.. I have written Katsuki before but I never know what to say. I kind of write the same things over and over again. It's sad and embarrassing. </3 I'm most confident in my portrayal of Iguro Obanai from demon slayer. He's my favorite character and I think I write him pretty well!

⨳ I'm an artist! Sometimes.. I do commissions but I consider myself a beginner artist. I can't draw hands or perspective well and I suck at anatomy. But I do have pieces that I'm proud of! I'm not linking them though because I don't feel like searching for them.

⨳ I love music! Since like elementary school, I've been heavily involved with music. I played the violin and I was first chair until the end up middle school! I haven't picked it up since then because quarantine kinda ruined it for me and I SUCK at tuning instruments so I ended up taking theatre in high school. When I get my violin tuned, I might start playing again. I haven't stopped loving music though. I have two guitars (That I have no desire to play) and I'm kind of obsessed with the drums. I got out of classical music and really want to be in a band. I also really want to share my music taste.

BOOM playlist link

I kinda JUST made that playlist because I usually just listen to playlist based on their music genre but I didn't want to link all those playlists!!

⨳ I'm 16! Turning 17 this year! I'm also aroacespec I'm not sharing my name on this blog because that's not really important and I can't see any reason you'd need to refer to me out of character. But if there is a case, then you can call me Z. Also for pronouns, just use he/him because I'm roleplaying Monoma. I'd prefer if you didn't use they/them pronouns on me unless you're talking about me and other people! Grin!

⨳ My favorite characters are Aoyama, Monoma, Touya, and Jirou!

⨳ I LOVE KAREOKE! I used to go to this karaoke place ALL THE TIME with my friends and it was like the best place ever!! I don't think they do karaoke anymore which is SO SAD!!! But I'll manage.. (6 months without karaoke has really taken a toll on me/j)

⨳ I have a really silly jester doll. his name is ugly and I got him from a thrift store

He's my bestfriend. Be nice to him ⨳ I prefer fruit candies over chocolate ones! ⨳ Apparently I have a southern accent? I didn't notice it until a few weeks ago and I brought it up to my friend and they were like "No yeah you do have one" and I was like WHATTTT ⨳ I used to be REALLY into cosplaying on tiktok but then I kind of lost interest in it.. I want to start doing it again but tbh I don't really know if it's my thing,, I cosplayed from JJBA and it was SO fun. The lines for the makeup was my favorite thing to do. Of course, I didn't have costumes or wigs for any of the characters I cosplayed. The only character I did relatively well on was Ermes because I had boxbraids in 😭. People were like "You're literally Ermes irl!" Because I'm lightskinned with boxbraids cosplaying a character that's lightskinned with boxbraids and I thought that was really silly. I want to cosplay her again because that was one of my favorites. I would share the cosplay but I'm not really up for sharing my face on here yet or at all LOL ⨳ OC writing is one of my favorite things to do. I actually have a huge story for an OC named Seiko Yamakawa who's a my hero OC. I referenced his story in the roleplay sample I posted XD I wrote him with one of my friends and we're designing a whole class for our OCS. Their story is set a good few years after the events of MHA and I'm hoping one day I feel the urge to write it and post it online so other people can see our hard work. I have a lot of OCS I want to post on here but I'm a slow artist and would have to make a bunch of refs for them because I like for their information to be complete. I have an OC that I'm considering making a roleplay blog for. He's the first MHA OC That I remember making after quarantine (All the ones I made back them are not to be spoken of..

⨳ IBS tummy ache survivor.. I'm just like Hinata Shoyo

OKAY I don't know what else I could possibly put here without doxxing my whole family/j SO I guess that's the end of my rambling!! I really just wanted to talk about myself and I would have done it on my main blog I just really didn't want to...

I was debating writing this because I really want to be one of those super mysterious blogs that people are like "Wow! they're so in character! This is literally the real Neito Monoma!" But I've already spoken so much out of character and I can't keep my mouth shut for the life of me (Yes I can that was a lie.)

anywayz hi guys!!

this is gonna be linked on my pinned post btw like most of everything else is

[boxwinebaddie]

hi nina! do you have any other songs that you think cd would cover? i just really liked new perspective and i think ur music taste is rlly cool :3

d'awww!!! hi there, sweet pea! <3

tysm for your ask but, before you start reading ( because this message got VERY long ), i just want to let everyone know that i used this ask to explain some Very Complex Ravenstan/Callgirl Fake Dating Lore...so if you are interested in that, it starts towards the middle of this ask...it's a lil chaotic, but i tried to make it as interesting and clear as i could! no obligation to read, ofc, as always, but i did want to preface this ask with that info, so you know this one is

*Secretly An Important RM Lore Ask.*

but back to what i was doing ( screaming ):

— because aAAAAAAAAAA!!!! c': <333

i am not even joking, you guys, despite the fact that my fic is based almost entirely around Music, i avoided answering music-related asks for so LONG bc i was legitimately so nervous about it being negatively perceived or read for filth on here, which, i Know, is silly because it's my fanfic and what i say goes, i can't change my music taste anymore than i can change the way my dna loops, but...idk.

like, i feel like A Lot of people are self conscious abt their music taste, but my social anxiety/inferiority complex can get so gnarly that i actually get Nervous when people ask me about what kind of music i like and i never EVER sit shot gun in cars bc i am...scared to aux. :/

iiiiiit's...That Bad. ( nina, please get therapy. )

i also feel like people in this fandom can get Very Intense about what kind of music they associate with the boys/what music the boys listen to and are FRIGHTENINGLY QUICK to rip people to shreds over opinions that don't align with theirs or aren't obscure or 'cool' enough.

bc of that, i try to be Very Lowkey on this blog because the larger part of this fandom and the criminally insane level at which they escalate petty fights over canon/fanon, like to the point that they are frothing at the mouth and start doxing people...gives me Extreme Stress. which, in my line of work, i actually CANNOT have happen.

tldr; i want absolutely NO part of it and like my lil corner.

thank you for keeping it Safe. <3

AND THANK YOU FOR ENJOYING MY MUSIC TASTE!!! EEEE c: <3 THAT IS SO REASURRING AND HEALING FOR ME TO HEAR!!!! MUSIC TO MY EARS, BABY! LITERALLY! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THAAAANK YOU! *holds you* *squishes you* *kisses ur head*

istg, if nothing else the fact that i have a bunch of you rocking out to New Perspective and positively associating it with my fanfic means that i have done my job and that's a legacy i'm willing to die with.

i'm being so serious, i feel like if rm was a tv show, it would play as the outro to every episode...but like a nice, soft, raw version w/ ravenstan on acoustic guitar to contrast the hard ass cd cover of style by tswizz that i think would open every episode...smh, nina, please, pleease stop imagining your unfinished, crack-fanfic as a netflix og series. >.>

BUT!!! okay!!!! in vein of trying not to worry about the perception of my music taste or what other people want from me...tHIS IS A KIND OF CONTREVERSIAL TAKE BUT I TIED IT TO THE PLOT, OKAY?

so, as a little nina lore and for context, when i was in elementary school around like 4th/5th grade, i was listening to like a lot of early y2k bangers, ig. dirty little secret by all american rejects, hey there delilah by the plain white tees, girlfriend by avril lavigne core, etc.

( just to make you giggle, i also had a ps2 and there was a series of video games called singstar that were some off shoot of rockband/gh that had mics you plugged directly into the system...pls note my high score on sk8r boi really should be put in the guinness world records, like if you held a gun to my head and told me to sing that song, i not only would i fuck it up but i would LIVE, baby! better luck next time! )

...it was also around early disney channel times ( the disney channel games with the team colors...that was my OLYMPICS, bitch! ) and i had this Disney Pop Hits Vol...1? i think? cd i used to play on the prehistoric radio thing in my room and my favorite song on it was...

pop princess by the click five.

AND I KNOW!!! I KNOOOOOW!!!! controversial take, but i am sorry, THAT SONG FUCKS!!!! THAT SONG IS SOOOO AWESOME!!!!!

and i feel like when ravenstan was fake dating call girl during the great hate south park embark, cd covered it: i am picturing a less finger-bang, btr, disney channel esqe sound and more of a pop-punk, pedal to the metal, electric guitar type, edgy rockstar boy typa beat.

but Yes, i think ravenstan covered it or idk i really think that it was made FOR call girl. and it was BAD ASF. i also think bc tcf wrote that song about hannah montana ( iconic ), and bc call girl is basically the whole internet's e-girl bubblegum pop princess in my fanfic, it just...

makes...Sense.

am i making sense? do we see the vision? aka rs in his lil pants w/ the ripped red and black flannel tied around his waist, fallin to his knees, singing his heart out, pointing at her, winking? PPL DIIIIIIIIIED.

and by people, i do mean jerseykyle n bebe who were MAD AS HELL,

-- but also tapping their toe...smh.

it was both very cool and very annoying. RIP.

( ...do i have jersey and bebe make out during the pop princess call girl tribute as mlm/wlw solidarity? HEEEELP ICOOONIC *jk vibrating with stress and anger vc* barbara, i need you to do somethin for me don't ask questions, i'll explain later, It's Important sdks MESSY! )

BUT OKAY!!!! SPEAAAAKING OF THEM AND THAT AND CALLGIRL AND RAVEN OF CRIMSON DAWN DATING!!!! i wanted to give you some lore and some spoilery plot about that/them bc it is burning a Hole in my brain...i must discuss r.s. and call girl becaaaause

~Its....Complicated.~

ANYWAYS!!!! IMPORTANT PLOT TIME!!!!

so, for more context: i am currently working on another ask abt how ike found out that jerseykyle/ravenstan used to be dating and during that conversation in kyle's room about three days into the sp trip, CONCURRENTLY somewhere Else, ravenstan and call girl are getting ready to do some flashy PR thing like go on a date/get din, idk.

BUT RIGHT BEFORE IT: ravenstan and call girl are alone together, and ravenstan, who, i am not even kidding you, is sooo fucking Pissed that this is EVEN HAPPENING because kyle is super mad at him, was like you are Actually Dead to me, WILL NOT TALK TO HIM...

( which without spoiling too much -- is actually why ike can tell that somethin Fucked Up is happening because j.k. is super aggressive and loud and is not afraid to Fuck Your Shit Up...but has not laid a FINGER on raven of crimson dawn...and actually, seems to not even want to be Near him, barely acknowledges his existence, leaves rooms that he is in and is Radio Silent around him...WHICH IS TWICE AS SCARY AS J.K. YELLING AND TRYING TO KILL YOU. so, uhh, Not fucking...Good, you guys. ike was like...this is...not fucking normal. )

but again, he cannot tell kyle what is going on bc he might actuuuuallly get MURDERED??? uh???

anyways, in whatever secure, secluded space rae/cg are in ( its somewhere private, i pictured a dressing room of sorts, like a makeup trailer, somewhere they have to take pics ) stan is Extremely Straight Up with her and says something to the effect of:

"i have no idea what you think this is or what you want this to be or what they told you, but we are not dating and this...is NOT. Real."

and call girl ( aka wendy whose identity is a secret to EVERYONE, No One has seen the bottom half of call girl's face...Ever. she changes her wigs everyday, they are Very Elaborate and is always in a very high tech face mask that covers her face from the nose down and uses a voice modulator to mask her speaking voice...a mysterious queen ) oddly enough seems completely relieved by this statement and is like

*squints*

"don't worry, Emo Boy. feeling is mutual. like, no offense, but you are seriously...not my type. Ew. trust me, i don’t want to do this either but,

— I Have To."

wHICHSHDLSKDHLSD SHE GUTTED HIM HELP. he was *gigantic stan slow eye blinks in shock* like "right, okay, Ow. that was...Mean." kshdlksdls but then was "--but i am glad we...agree. i Also HAVE To. not because of publicity, it's...Deeper than that...i can't really ta--"

to which call girl, locking eyes with him, dead seriously, lowering her modulated voice is like...

"it's tenorman, right?

He Threatened You."

and r.s, gagged! Again!!! is like

"holy shit, he THREATENED /YOU/ TOO?!?!"

and call girl nods very slowly and starts to say

"he told me if i didn't do it he would..."

and rs with the same kind of mounting horror whispers

" — Kill Everyone You Love And Care About?"

which, at this point, folks, they are both like...

...WOAH.

bc they realize they are both stuck in the same torture chamber together, they Both got cornered into this really elaborate ruse and have to keep it up in order to keep the people that they love Safe and it's...A Lot. it...really is. but it's also sort of freeing and cathartic to knowing you are not alone going through what is pretty much the worst thing that has ever happened to you in your entire life.

i also feel like...there is this natural bond. this Energy between them. like they understand/see each other and feel...safe with one another.

and call girl, guard still up, dips a toe in uncharted water, and goes:

"well...since were partners in crime now and have to live a lie in public...i think we at least owe it to each other in private...

...to be Real."

she offers this bc they have reached an understanding, an impasse, a standstill, a draw of sorts. and there is a thick tension...as well as this crescendoing vulnerability that hangs the air with her ultimatum as they stare warily at each other, strangers, both wearing still wearing their masks, call girl physically in hers and stan in his metaphorical one doing the dark, raspy smoke and mirrors raven voice bc he is...not sure about her in the same way that she is...

...still not sure abt him.

( they are basically that one spiderman meme where both the spidermans are holding each other at gun point. ) and it's a huge Risk to indulge her request, but again...they both have everything to lose.

and no one...but Eachother.

so he indulges her very tentatively and counters:

"alright...then, tell me something Real, call girl."

to which she nods, closes her eyes and goes. "fine. my real name..."

call girl trails off, reaches up to tap the voice modulator on her mask, turns it off, reaches out her rhine-stoned, sequined, hot pink faux leather gloved hand out to shake his and in her real voice, says,

" — Is Wendy."

and this...is a Very BIG Deal.

again, no one has ever heard call girl's voice before. no one knows what her name is or Anything about her. she doesn't even preform live, she does virtual concerts and is basically this sort of mysterious, ai, vocaloid/miku internet personality that is very Carefully and elaborately Coded and ENCRYPTED to keep her identity Safe.

so her turning off her voice mod and speaking to stan, not as a fictional, larger than life computer-generated celebrity, but as a human being...is massive.

it's also very...Comforting to ravenstan.

who has not been himself...for a very long time. and it's not smart, it's not a good idea, but he decides to trust her and in turn,

in his real voice, says,

"stan. my name...is Stan.

It's Nice To Meet You, Wendy."

he shakes her hand and she shakes his.

she says, "it's nice to meet you too, stan." :)

and it feels...Nice. it should feel wrong, what they're doing, but it feels right, it feels fucking amazing to stop Preforming. she knows his name, she's seen his face...but realizes he still has not seen Hers and running on adrenaline, bolstered by a rare surge of bravery, chinks at her armor, or mask rather, and makes a motion.

literally.

bc he reaches up towards her face and goes, "oof. it's nice to hear your human voice; the dystopian robot voice was lowkey espantoso."

he laughs, it's genuine and super ugly, god bless him. so you Know he's being really real when he asks "but...if it's all the same to you. if were going to speak freely; i'd like to...see Who i am speaking to.

so can i, please, uh...see your Face? your whole face.

your...Real face."

and oof. this...is a little nerve-wracking for wendalends.

she's neeeever taken the mask off. ever. Ever. EVER.

For A-n-y-o-n-e.

but...she might never have the chance again and it is...really stuffy under there. so she Agrees and lets stan remove her face apparatus.

ravenstan does say "Wowza." HDLKSHDSl amazing.

he's also my boyfail king and says something very fucking stupid like

"sorry, you're REALLY Pretty. i was worried might look like deadpool under there." she smiles, it's beautiful. no one has seen her real smile before as call girl and thanks him. she goes on to apologize and is like

"thank you, stan. you're really sweet and i...am sorry i said 'ew'. it's not because you're ugly, you're kind of...Cute for a guy, actually? you have really nice bone structure and very kind eyes. it's just, when i said you weren't my type i meant Boys. in...general."

her voice shakes a little, she's never admitted this out loud before, not even to her girlfriend. but she trusts stan with the nice bone structure and dumb ugly laugh and very kind eyes, so she says

"i'm a...Lesbian.

i'm also Seeing Someone at the moment.

It's Complicated."

and stan is like, skhdlsd way too excited to talk about kyle, and is like

"okay, whew! i'm ALSO seeing someone! or well..." then remembers and is like oooof "well...i Was...seeing someone i guess. it's..."

my man is Depressed and is trying to change the subject because he realizes he actually can't talk about kyle because not only is cartman going to kill him if he does...he is also gonna freakin K!ll Himself because he's actually so sad that kyle currently hates his GUTS.

so he sighs, echoing her and admits "It's...Complicated." :/

he wants to hear something nice though, something real...and nice. because he is a romantico king. who believes more than anything...

in Love.

so he asks her what her girlfriend's name is. <3 :')

annnd i think she is About to say bebe's name...but realizes if she does, it will completely blow her cover.

like her ACTUAL Cover.

because stan knowing her first name and her what she looks like under the mask is one thing...but the second she says bebe's name, it's going to reveal that she is kyle's bebe's wen/wendyl which...is

Meeeeessy.

but she reasons ( as an intelligent, rational queen ) that regardless of how messy things get, her and stan are in this mess together and that the best time to make a mess...is when you are Coming Clean.

still...this is...very sensitive information. she’s not sure how he's gonna take it and needs some sort of collateral.

so she states her terms.

and call girl, who stan now knows is wendy, but not bebe's current girlfriend ( yet ) says "okay. i am going to tell you something, but in order to do it. i have to tell you...Everything. in exchange, i need YOU to tell me Everything. i am going to give you One Chance to do so willingly. if not...i do not care how untraceable you Think you are, i am very familiar with the dark web and i will find out everything i Need to know about you. and do with that information...What. I. Please.

...so /please./ promise me you won't tell anyone about what i am about to tell you...and then, tell me...stan...Something Real."

stan agrees and wendy goes into everything. comes out as trans to him and explains her origin story. ( i started to write everything in this ask but it got too long, i'll tell you all about call girl/wendy in another ask i have a couple in the box i can use, haha. ) she tells him pretty much everything ( it's a big therapy session in there ) up until this point, gaydhd ravenstan...manages to understand

Everything.

and when she finishes, true to the deal, she gently volleys the ball into his court, ( they are friends now, aw <3 ) and softly goes:

"okay...Your Turn."

and so ravenstan...who is Deeply Inspired by wendy...Wowza. he seriously thinks she is so fucking cool and ALSO A TRANS ICON??? HELLO? he feels v seen and heard and safe, so uh...jesus christ, he grabs wendy's hands, takes a veeeeeery deep breath and goes,

"so, i...

— Am DEAD."

LKHDSHSDLKDS HEEELP KSHLKDS

annnnnnd proceeds to tell her everything.

and i do mean...Everything.

they talk for the rest of the night basically, having this heart to heart, at the same time that, unbeknownst to ravenstan, jerseykyle and ike are also having a heart to heart....wendy and stan are platonic besties, they agree to keep each other's secrets as t4t legends stuck in cartman's fucked up marionette hell together, they agree to keep their crazy charade up while they try and find a way out/back to bebe and kyle, take some v convincing publicity pictures together ( i do think jk and bebe see them and want to die So Bad, it's not funny...bebe/jk or wendy/rs...choose your doomed broship. Fml. )

and that's...

Your Crazy Uncle Nina RM Lore Drop For The Night!

i hope you enjoyed it, haha. <3 please feel free to drop me a line in the ole ask box about it and ofc, as always, to ask me anything you would like! if you're still with me...after all this time. thank you so much for supporting me and enjoying my content.

it means...Everything to me.

and in writing something fake...

thank you all:

for being my Something Real. <3 c':

-uncle nina, callgirl/raven superfan

[akwardlyuncool]

Sitting To Know Your Collection February Roundup

Week 6 (February 5th - February 12th)

Album: BLOOM by Troye Sivan Play Count: 4 Top 2 Tracks: Bloom (Track 4) Plum (Track 5)

Another library save for week 6 and it was a VIBE! I’m not new to this album, I’ve known and been into several tracks since it came out, but getting back into it and finding new stuff to enjoy was well worth it. He knows how to make people dance and fall in love with what he’s doing, but maybe even him. It’s enticing for sure. On that note, Seventeen (the opening track) makes me want to protect him from all the harm in this world.

PS: My CD player was iffy about when it would let me play this one, so I had to use Spotify for a few of the listens. That being said Spotify has the album tracks out of order, so to play it in order, you might want to queue them up instead of just pressing play.

____________________________________________________

Week 7 (February 13 - February 18th)

Album: Fortress (2000) by Sister Hazel Play Count: 4 Top 2 Tracks That Aren’t “Your Winter” Cause That Always Been A Favorite: Thank You (Track 3) Shame On Me (Track 7) Your Winter is one of my favorite songs of all time, shout out 10 Thing I Hate About You, so I was excited to dive into the actual album that song comes from. Now I knew they were country but Fortress drove that point home, especially the country of the late 90’s and early 2000s. It’s definitely giving high-waisted mom jeans, but also conversations on back porches with a guitar. I love the sound, it made me happy to listen to it and continues to prove how much I do like country music. Yoncé is Yoncé but this is where home is at.

____________________________________________________

Week 8 (February 19th - February 25th)

Album: From The Bottom To The Top (2000) by Sammie Always Play Count: 4 Top 2 Tracks: Crazy Things I Do (Track 4) I Like It (Track 2) When we talk about what is actually a throwback, this is the one for me, every single time. I remember being in elementary school and being so in love with Sammie because of this album. When I put it on I get that hint of nostalgia and all the words come back to me instantly. I have so much love for this album, however in my 30’s after so many listens, I just wanted to put on some GROWN FOLK music lol. There was also lines throughout different songs that I thought were repeats of one another and with it being almost a full hour long record, I might have just been getting lost. Again this album makes me so happy and any time I put it on it just works for my mood, but I don’t know that I could do this much binging of it again, at least not for a long while. But hey Sammie is still making music for me to crush on, so maybe that’s where I need to spend my time.

Side Note: I absolutely believe that tweens need more tween crush music and just more tween ish in general, cause there’s not enough of it and that solid in between stage is fading quickly. As long as they realize you can, not spend “every dollar to your name” on somebody at 10. Lol!

____________________________________________________

Week 9 (February 26th - March 3rd)

Album: Alright Still… (2006) by Lily Allen Play Count: 5 Top 2 Tracks: Littlest Things (Track 8) Not Big (Track 5) Alright Still… is like watching OG British Skins or even a little bit of the the BBC show Misfits. I think a lot of that came 1) from having seen both shows and 2) the music videos themselves. I didn’t even have to revisit the videos because when the song would play, the images would already be reeling in my head. I’m not gonna forget creepy puppets or smashing his vinyl records or even giving him laxatives lol. The full album listen was fun and only a little over a half an hour so it wasn’t a struggle getting to 5 listens, which I haven’t done in several weeks. It’s poppy with a little bit of that crude edge, so if you missed out or just want more from that era, go take a listen and tell me what a good time you had.

PS: The Littlest Things plays during one of my all time favorite romantic comedies and if you haven’t seen Celeste and Jesse Forever, I can’t recommend it enough. The first time I watched it, as soon as it ended, I immediately started it over. I loved it that much.

Here's a mini 2013 review I did on the movie if you're interested.

.

.

And thus concludes February. Any you'd pick?

Stay tuned for March.

[floosies]

Radio

early 2000s au

eddie munson x fem!oc

warnings: mentions of drugs, cursing, eventual smut, mentions of abuse, friends to lovers 18+

a/n: i just wanna say this fic is an ode to what i wish i could have be doing in the early 2000s if I hadn't been in elementary school. i know alot of us twenty somethings wish we would have been older than we were.

Sophomore year, 2007

Eddie had repeated the eighth grade, so when he started high school, he should have been sophomore, but his uncle was determined that kid needed to be held back, his teachers too, he's wasn't stupid but living with his dad in the early years of his childhood had fucked with his education. He either did or didn't go depending if his dad was on the run for jacking a car or something. So much for no child left behind, and in Hawkins of all places, they would hold him back as much as they could, not just in school, but in life too. Most of the student body saw him as trailer trash and nothing more. His uncle had taken him in before he entered middle school, and while he tried his best to stay out of trouble, he wasn't gonna let assholes bad mouth the only real father figure he had.

It didn't matter though, he'd gotten his shit somewhat together to get into high school. Barely passing and not really caring, he wanted to at least try and get his diploma for his uncle's sake. System of a down was blasting from his best friend's room. He'd known Jeff for some time and even though his parents didn't like the 'influence' Eddie had on him, he was thankful for him. Jeff had been one of the few kids who actually thought Eddie was cool. They'd been friends since, and he was kind enough to let him hang at his place afterschool, where'd they'd use his computer to post band stuff and update their myspace accounts.

Today though Ed had gotten lucky. He'd jacked some kid's locker and scored an ipod in there. Sure stealing was wrong, but he was broke, too broke at least to afford an ipod. He'd spent the summer trying not to get caught working for his dad's friend to make enough for the iphone. It was easy money in reality, but he knew his uncle wouldn't have been happy to know he was selling drugs to people. The phone was easier to hide than what'd he'd been up to in the summer, even then he still sold every once in a while. Band equipment and his car were never ending needs he had to deal with.

The plan had always been the band, he'd learned to play the guitar on his own accord, rock music was his home away from home. It helped having friends like Jeff who understood what music was really about. Anything they ever earned at a gig was saved in a one of those gallon jugs, they were midway but the hope was to make enough to get to LA or New York and get a studio session. Their live demos and shotty youtube videos got them some online views but not enough to call the attention of anyone yet.

-

Julie had a whole different life from his. Her parents were loving sociopaths, who controlled her life as best they could. Nevertheless, it didn't do much. She would still sneak around and hang at house parties on the weekends or get drunk at sleepovers with her best friend. She was well known online as a party girl and whether it was her myspace or livejournal she had somewhat of a following for her antics.

At most she was thankful her parents had no clue about the internet. They'd gotten her a digital camera and an ipod with no clue what she really did with them. They were naive at best but could be ruthless at worst. They'd take away her things for months on end if they felt she had been on some sort of weird or rude behavior. It didn't stop her though. Despite her popularity online, in school it was a whole quieter ordeal. Sure she was known, but people only want to associate with others under certain circumstances. Her group was small, and the outfits she'd wear on a friday night weren't what'd she'd been seen in on a monday morning in class.

She wasn't a genius by any length but she wasn't an idiot, she was getting by with decent grades and fake persona for her teachers and parents. It's the only thing she had to keep them from really looking into who she really was, or was at least trying to be.

-

Blame the internet, they met through their myspace accounts. She had mentioned one of their songs or more like she was looking for one of their songs because they had played at a party she had gone to the weekend before. Eddie couldn't believe he didn't know her, they went to the same high school and were in the same grade. They started talking almost immediately, about everything and anything.

It didn't take long for cellphone numbers to be exchanged and to agree to finally meet at lunch. She had told him not to ditch for her lunch period but he didn't really care about it. To Eddie she was someone who finally understood what he was trying to do here. They were both surprised when they finally met up, she swore she could feel her heart racing out of her chest. It was one thing to talk on the phone or through text, but being actually with him felt like something else.

He felt the same way about near her, she had mentioned to him that he probably didn't recognize her because she wasn't wearing the kind of stuff she usually wore on the weekends out. Its what they ended up talking about that whole lunch period, about how few moments they had where they could really be themselves. Only difference is Julie still felt her parents held the control in her life. That's something Eddie no longer tied him down. Still, he felt for her, from their long talks on the phone and at lunch, he was getting to know this girl for who she really was and that mattered to him. He even ended up walking her to class.

Her friends did give her a couple of glances when she walked into class that day. Questions on why she was hanging out with him and who even was he? One of her classmates heard her mention his name and said Eddie had always been chaotic and liked to start shit for fun. Sure she could have listened to them, but all the stuff they were saying didn't matter because she knew him well enough after a month or so of talking to him, to know that if he came off that way it was intentional.

From that point on, they would try to hang out as much as they could. Parties and after school days when she would go over to his place, despite him initially saying that she probably wouldn't wanna be seen at a trailer park. She honestly didn't care, all that mattered was not being near her hellhole house and that she was able to do her homework. Meanwhile he played guitar hero for her and showed her songs he was working on. Every now and then she would try and get him to do his homework too, which would in turn lead to them not doing anything because he'd use anything as a means of distraction.

Then there was a week when he got suspended for accidentally bringing a pocket knife to school. He told her he had been helping his uncle fix up a patch on the roof and forgot he had left the knife in his jeans pocket but they probably just wanted an excuse to get him out of their hair. His teachers ended up confused when she showed up that week asking for the notes and missing assignments he would have. Maybe she shouldn't have but she did them for him and when they met up on friday night she handed them in exchange for a couple of pre rolled joints and some tabs.

He watched as she went off with her girlfriends that night and got blacked out. They were only getting to know each other though, he didn't wanna overstep anything with her, but he made sure she got home alright. The following Monday it was as if it had never happened and he didn't really mind.

Sophomore year had been a trial and error of getting to know each other and figuring out how the friendship would work. By the summer they had it down, they were comfortable enough with each other to not really care too deeply about things, but also were practically glued to one another. She met the rest of the band and his other friends. She'd shoot their sets for them and post them on their youtube, hell she even added them to her top five. Of course everyone around them could see that there was more going on between the two but neither Eddie nor Julie were going to ruin whatever they had going on already to start something intimate.

[tegr1dy]

ok more for The High School Au in which the main boys form a band. stan would kind of orchestrate the whole thing after cartman finds his journal full of emo songs he’s written about wendy. he plays it off as like oh yeah kyle kenny and i are forming a band and YOU are not invited to join. kyle and kenny are like wait we are. kenny would be the bassist and kyle would be backup vocals/guitar. nobody wants cartman to join but he’s actually pretty good on drums. it takes some bribery (threats) to get him to stop singing (terribly) over stan and kyle. before they allowed cartman in he formed a band with butters (only allowed to play the triangle) and when they merged butters took keyboard with the minimal skill he possessed from his short stint of piano lessons in elementary school. they are locally successful (eight of their friends show up to their garage shows) and stan & kyle’s duets get way too homoerotic and everyone is uncomfortable. the end

[fumiko-matsubara]

Can I ask for some random Chiba headcanon, please? Like different habits, etc. Thanks a lot :)))

My strictly organized brain is fully incapable of doing random headcanons 😭

But I got a separate ask for that specifically, so I'm just gonna do Chiba's habits for this one, because I have enough to say 💕

I mentioned it in the recent relationship chart, but the most distinct habit Chiba has was mixing English words in every sentence he speaks.

He does know what the Japanese equivalent of those words are, but he just couldn't break out of the habit.

Another distinct habit he could never break out of no matter what, was tucking his hair behind his ears. Be it to keep his hair in place or when he puts something on his head like a hat or beanie.

He was so used to it, that even when he had much shorter hair in high school, he still tucks the non-existent length... then would pause awkwardly when he realizes.

But the shorter hair did unlock a new habit! Which is lightly brushing his bangs aside with his two index fingers whenever they got too in front, since the shorter length now keeps poking at his eyes.

You will never catch this guy standing straight. He either got his arms crossed, on his pockets, his head tiltled slightly to the side, leaning his bodyweight onto one leg at a time, or leaning onto someone's desk with his arms and legs crossed.

He swears at least three times a day. Nakamura noted that the first time is usually on the third period.

It's probably immunity built from from the constant headbanging. But when he's really exhausted, he leans his head all the way back to the point where it should hurt, but it doesn't even if he stayed in that position for over 30 minutes.

He has two types of laughing tone - the deep ass devil giggle and the high pitched witchy cackle, and BOTH are terrifying.

But when he laughs with someone else, Chiba unintentionally mimics their tone the longer he drawls out. It's why he and Nakamura sounded similar sometimes.

And speaking of being similar with Nakamura, they've also got the same laughing habits!

Throwing themselves back that it can be dangerous sometimes, their eyes squinting the wider their grins are to the point that they seriously can't see anything when they laugh, and that one long high pitched "haaaaa..." drawled at the end before they catch their breaths.

He also has the habit of staring intensely at something, be it a coffee mug or a pencil case, whenever he's lost in thought or was zoning out. But these days, it's not as prominent as it was back when he was in elementary.

You will catch him flexing his fingers every now and then. It's a warm-up he always does before playing the guitar, but now he also does it to keep himself grounded whenever he thinks he's losing focus.

People may not see his eyes, but they know when he's actually looking at them. And it's usually when he is paying great attention, when he wants to talk to someone, and when he discreetly shares the same sentiment as the other person.

If Chiba shares a knowing look with someone, it's a sign of deep trust.

As such, he deliberately avoids eye contact when he wants to avoid a topic from being discussed at all cost. Nakamura was the first to figure this out.

Whenever he gathers his thoughts while he's speaking, Chiba would look up and blinks a lot. It's a prominent habit that his classmates discovered after he began showing his eyes more often.

And when that ongoing train of thought just comes to an abrupt stop, he quietly stares into space for at least 10 seconds before he admits he got nothing else to say.

But when he still forces to think even though his mind had already gone blank, his eyes would roll themselves back. People either find this concerning or hilarious, but someone had to stop him nonetheless 😭

He never rests his face. His mouth may look neutral half of the time, but his eyes and eyebrows are constantly controlled to look less strong. It's a learned habit he developed growing up.

He doesn't like pronouncing or typing long words - it's why he uses English and sends reaction stickers instead.

The same goes for names, if it's too long for his liking, watch him shorten it to an embarrassing extent when he believes he's close enough with someone to nickname them. It's why he began calling Muramatsu "Makkun" (which also prompted Kurahashi to start calling him from Muramacchan to Macchan 😂), and the guy was NOT having it lmao

As such, Takebayashi is called Take-kun. But when Chiba found out that he was the one behind that atrocious codename that he absolutely despise with his whole being, he spitefully began calling him Kou-chan ever since (their classmates also began picking up the nickname overtime).

[bmodiwrites]

And My Heart Ran Away From Me

Pairing: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Rating: Explicit (E) Notes: There's no real excuse for this one. I've been watching far too many Hallmark movies, I think. Word Count: ~12.5k Warnings: There’s definitely some smut in here, but it’s me writing, so that’s not really a surprise. Other than that, there’s not too much aside from some good old Christmas fun! Summary:

Eddie unexpectedly loses his job. After years away and hopes for many more, Eddie has nowhere to go but back home. There, he runs into an old crush turned elementary school principal. It's love and lust at first sight for Eddie all over again. Read to find out what happens when assumptions are made and two people who are meant to be dance around each other in every silly way imaginable.

Or, Steddie meets a Hallmark movie!

Read the rest on AO3 here!

The decision to drive seemed like a good one when Eddie first pulled away from his downtown Chicago apartment. His head was filled to the point of near explosion – the time alone would do him so much good. At least, that was what Eddie initially thought when he sat behind the wheel to start the twenty hour drive back to Hawkins, Indiana. Eddie didn’t take into account the anxiety and second guessing that would start to bombard him the closer he got to his childhood home. It’d been thirteen years since he stepped foot in Indiana, much less Hawkins. As he inched closer, Eddie’s skin got tight, started to crawl. Dread settled in under the already residual cloud of sadness that was now Eddie’s constant companion. No, it never crossed Eddie’s mind that he’d have to deal with the ghost of feelings long forgotten the closer he got to the place he used to call home. He probably wouldn’t have even attempted the journey if it did.

Leaving after high school was the best decision that Eddie ever made – despite what happened, Eddie still believed that to his very core. He struggled to get by in the small town he grew up in and some freedom was just what Eddie needed. Being different was a death sentence that Eddie felt lucky to escape. Though they all knew it was a long shot, Eddie and his buddies, the boys who made up Corroded Coffin, all set off for stardom the day after graduation without looking back. It took a bit of struggling, but the band finally caught a break about six months later. Eddie, despite everyone looking down at him or doubting his talent and risky choices, was actually making something of himself.

The high of a dream come true lasted for a couple of years – Eddie lived up the moments where he got to play music for a living all day, every day. The band toured and made a couple of records that took off and brought them even more success than Eddie ever imagined. They were headed towards something so good that Eddie had to go and absolutely fuck it up – that was the natural order of things, after all.

They were back in Chicago for a couple of weeks to celebrate the holidays before the second leg of their third sold-out tour. Eddie was high on life and a couple joints that made him feel invincible. He didn’t see the patch of black ice, didn’t feel the car flip, didn’t even remember what happened until many months later when his memory started to resurface.

A concussion, of all things, was the thing that yanked all of Eddie’s music dreams and ambitions right from his hands. The severe bang on his head, which cost him four staples in his skull and several stitches across his cheek, caused irreversible hearing damage. Though he wasn’t deaf and hadn’t lost the ability to hear completely, Eddie’s ability to keep a tune or fluctuate throughout the different pitches was nonexistent. A tone deaf guitar player was no good for anyone, no matter how good Eddie was before.

Healing took up enough of Eddie’s attention that he didn’t notice the lack of music in his life at first. He was too caught up in the idea of getting his hearing back that the reason for all the effort sort of slipped through his fingers. The reality of the situation stayed away long enough for Eddie to come to terms with the new silence in his life. When the consequences of his truth really sunk in, Eddie was somewhat prepared for the fallout. He kept himself together enough to not have a complete mental breakdown, to think fast and find a workable solution, instead. Eddie wanted to stay in the band and luckily, had the perfect way to do it.

Always having an artistic eye, Eddie took to photography almost immediately. He always wanted to freeze time and capture moments as a kid but the lack of monetary means to do so doused the flame of that desire. No longer a poor, struggling child, Eddie splurged with his well-earned tour profits to get himself a quality camera and a new start in life. It took no time at all for him to read the manual and understand how it all worked. Once he got the hang of the little machine in his hands, Eddie let himself loose artistically and created a space for himself. If he couldn’t be in the band, he’d sure as hell capture their candid moments, instead.

And that’s exactly what Eddie did – for a decade, Corroded Coffin had the best behind the scenes footage in the music business. Eddie’s photos were well known by fans of the band and photo artists alike. He had a unique eye that told a story unlike any photographer before him. He loved his work and would’ve been happy to continue it for many years to come.

Of course, allowing for complacency to set in meant Eddie was in for the shock of his lifetime. Corroded Coffin was scheduled to start their tenth world tour a couple of weeks before Christmas. Eddie had already used the travel as an excuse to put his uncle off for another year. While he missed Wayne more than he cared to admit, Eddie had no intention of ever going back to Hawkins. He thought he had the greatest job in the world that would always give him an out. Except, the job he thought was his forever was quickly yanked out from under him.

Eddie should’ve saw it coming. Jeff and their newest guitarist, Kurt, started pulling away months before the news came. After so many years of friendship, Eddie brushed off Jeff’s distance, chalked it up to too much time spent together after a long stretch of road shows. It never once crossed his mind that the guys were planning to trade him in for something younger, prettier, and more busty than Eddie could ever be. Walking up to the bus to see a petite blonde with a camera bag strapped across her extra booby chest shouldn’t have come as such as surprise – but it did. Eddie was so shocked that he stood there dumbly as the tour bus rolled away, until there was nothing before him but dust and broken dreams.

It took Eddie an admittedly long time to drag himself away from the life that’d been his just moments before. He was numb and lost, completely not with it when he called Wayne to cry and complain and finally break down. There were no inhibitions left when he readily agreed to go home for Christmas. His mind was completely gone in those tender minutes of insanity. By the time that Eddie realized what he’d done, seven hours and two gas fill ups were already under his belt. Aside from that, he’d given Wayne his word; Eddie disappointed his old man enough to know that doing so again wasn’t an option this time around. Despite hating the thought of retracing his steps anywhere near the home he used to have, Eddie gripped the wheel a little tighter and kept on driving. When all was said and done, what did he really have to lose?

Unfortunately, Eddie had several more hours to ponder that exact question. His sanity seemed to be the only thing hovering on the edge, though that wasn’t much different than the past few months for Eddie. The crazy right turn he was taking at the moment was inevitable – Eddie felt the need to break free and change everything bubbling up for a long time. Too bad it took the sudden jolt of being stabbed in the back to set Eddie on the right path. In the long run, Eddie was lucky his uncle gave enough shit about him to invite him back at all.

Thinking back to their conversation, Eddie let himself smile – the quirk of his lips almost felt foreign after being in such a perpetual bad mood. Wayne was known to do that, though.

“What’s the matter boy?” Eddie recalled Wayne saying. His uncle’s voice was rough and deep, but Eddie recognized the care there, too. “You calling more than once in the month is too rare of an occasion to be a coincidence.”

There was a moment of silence where Eddie tried to remember why he spent so much time avoiding the man on the other side of the line. The unsubtle way Wayne just laid himself down was too much for him in that moment. Eddie was embarrassed to admit that his uncle was grossly correct – he went out of his way to make the time between calls longer and longer. It seemed silly now, in a desperate moment where Eddie needed the comfort and Wayne offered it so willingly.

So, Eddie spilled his guts. He told Wayne everything about the unsatisfactory nature of his life, how he missed the connection that music brought, how he never really fit in after having to step away and take up a new role. Eddie let so much of his troubles go that Wayne even knew about his loneliness by the time the words had run dry and the truth was the only thing that remained. There was no real argument when Wayne suggested coming back to Hawkins – Eddie was even shocked to hear that some work opportunities might be available to him. Desperate and ready to be back in someone’s orbit that cared for him, Eddie agreed, packed a bag, and set off.

He was still thinking about the hastiness of that decision when the Hawkins sign on the side of the road came into view. Sucking in a weary breath, Eddie tried not to anxiously clench his jaw. It was obviously too late to turn back – aside from nineteen hours of committed driving time already, Eddie couldn’t help but wonder if maybe a break from all the bull shit was a good thing. It’d been so long since Eddie slowed down that he truly couldn’t remember the last time it happened. Resolving himself to that positive attitude, Eddie flicked on his turn blinker to make the final descent into Hawkins proper. As he let go of the brake and shifted the wheel, Eddie shook his head and let go.

Driving down Main Street, Eddie was pleasantly surprised to see that while a lot had actually changed, not so much of it had, either. The huge grocery store was still the same, even the little cart rack by the road was eerily familiar. Eddie would’ve sworn it was a decade ago if it weren’t for the huge coffee shop that now took up the space that used to be a thrift store. The empty parking spot right by the door drew Eddie in as the siren of coffee made it impossible to drive any further without stopping. Eddie parked his car and climbed out with a surge of excitement rushing through him – he thought he would have to get by with Wayne’s special brand of sludgy-black coffee. Knowing he had a place to escape to made his arrival back to a place he tried to avoid a bit better than he first imagined. Maybe he’d actually be able to get through his visit after all.

Of course, thinking those sorts of wishful thoughts was dangerous, giving Eddie the kind of hope that had no business residing in the same vessel as his perpetual bad attitude. That truth made itself abundantly clear when one of the most haunting ghosts from his past met Eddie at the door of the coffee shop.

Steve Harrington, the most beautiful man himself, was parked at a small table on the right side of the shop. He was facing the doors so that Eddie spotted him the second he strolled in. All the confidence in Eddie’s step drained from him at the sight of his childhood crush. As he sat there, Steve looked more gorgeous than ever. The glasses that framed his hazel eyes were stylish and fit the shape of Steve’s cheeks too well – Steve’s fine features certainly didn’t need any extra help. They drew Eddie’s eyes first thing, though the David Bowie concert shirt was a close second. While more than ten years had passed, Steve Harrington still looked like the eighteen year-old that Eddie remembered. If it weren’t for the facial hair and barely noticeable lines by his eyes, Eddie would be certain Steve was some sort of time traveler or immortal who didn’t age. In truth, the man simply looked good – as if anything aside from that was ever an option for the best looking guy that Hawkins had to offer.

Quickly realizing that he’d gone still to think up all of those not so pure things, Eddie straightened his posture and walked further into the shop. He dragged in a long breath of air, only to let out a soft sigh of relief at the tantalizing scent of freshly ground coffee beans. Closing his eyes for a moment, Eddie let the familiarity of being around something that brought him comfort sit in his chest and warm him up. After everything he’d been through, a simple thing like good coffee was more than enough to bring him a little happiness.

The sound of someone saying “Welcome to Henderson’s” brought Eddie out of his trance. Looking up, Eddie was shocked to see Nancy Wheeler, of all people, standing expectantly behind the counter. Eddie had to work hard not to let his jaw drop at the sight. Out of all the people he expected to be back in their sleepy little town, Nancy wasn’t one of them. She had a lot of gusto in her personality and the brains to match. For a moment, Eddie allowed himself to marvel at the funny way that life worked.

“Holy shit, you’re Nancy Wheeler.” Eddie was still so shocked that he forgot to check his mouth at the door. Trying to smile through the awkwardness, Eddie forced himself to count to ten and not flee from his very spot. On top of Nancy’s brainy prowess, Eddie couldn’t help but recall the badass streak the little woman before him had in her. He feared for his life for a brief moment. Then, the cutest look of confusion overtook her face and Eddie relaxed.

Her, “do I know you – “ was elegantly interrupted by Steve Harrington standing up from his chair and joining the conversation. “Eddie Munson, as I live and breathe!” His exclamation rang so loudly throughout the store that even Nancy drew back a little. She smartly cut herself off and went about fiddling with the cash register in front of her. Eddie, ever the brave one, turned to greet Steve, a soft smile on his face. “I didn’t believe Wayne when he said you were coming back to town.”

At the mention of his uncle, Eddie forgot the drool he’d been trying not to let drip down his chin to shfit his attention elsewhere. “You know Wayne?” Eddie asked stupidly, his tone perplexed. He cringed at himself for a second before pushing past the oddness of it all. For some reason, Steve Harrington knew his uncle and Eddie planned to find out why.

Steve, the gorgeous little asshole, didn’t even blink an eye. “I sure do. He’s one of the best substitute teachers in town. I don’t know what we’d do without him – especially at this time of the year.” Steve smiled then, the look almost wolfish. His teeth were white and blinding, much too distracting for the discussion at hand.

“What in the world is happening?” Eddie asked, looking up at the ceiling dramatically. Wayne, the man who didn’t even want to help him with his homework, was a teacher… at a school? Just when Eddie thought things were already thrown way out of whack, another oddity came slamming down on the pile. “I can’t believe Wayne’s a teacher. You,” he said, pointing over at Steve, “I can see being one, but Wayne – he refused to proofread for me before I started high school!”

A sharp laugh cut through Eddie’s downward spiral. Steve’s lips were pulled back in a genuine expression of mystified enjoyment. “I’m actually the principal, but you’re not all that far off. I was a teacher for the first couple years of my career.” Crossing his arms, Steve relaxed his long limbs and leaned against the front counter with the slightest pop of his hip. “One of my kids got under Wayne’s skin a couple of school years ago. It’s hard to say no to the little monsters once you’ve come to understand the power of puppy dog eyes and little lip wobbles.”

Dumbfounded that Steve seemed to know more about his uncle now than he did, Eddie mumbled out some half-assed response, then turned away from the conversation completely to babble out his coffee order, side-eyeing Steve the entire time. Things stayed silent and tense for the entirety of the three minutes it took for Nancy to make his quad-espresso and slide it across the counter towards him. Eager to do something with his hands, Eddie swept it up and brought the cup to his mouth. Pushing past the scalding his tongue was taking, Eddie felt immediate relief as the caffeine hit his taste buds and sunk down his throat to get blissfully lost in his blood stream. The fire in his mouth was nothing when compared to the warm feeling that settled in his chest. “You sure know how to make a good cup of coffee, Wheeler,” Eddie finally said, breaking the silence with a throw away comment. Not sticking around to see how she was going to react, Eddie gripped his cup and made a beeline for the exit.

He was almost to the door when Steve’s voice stopped him dead in his tracks; it even had Eddie turning around to face him once again. “See you around, Munson. Tell Wayne I said hello.” Steve looked triumphant and grossly beautiful as he stared Eddie down. Raising his cup in a silent salute, Eddie used that as his answer before actually running out of the shop.

The fresh air hitting Eddie’s face helped him to reset himself. His heart was beating rapidly, the thrum of it so heavy that he heard it in his faulty ears. A fine sheen of sweat had started to collect on his brow, sticking his hair to the skin there. Even the tips of his fingers felt a little tingly from the craziness of the situation. Now that he was a bit more removed from it, Eddie was floored to know that his uncle had inadvertently befriended the one boy Eddie hadn’t ever been able to stop thinking about. No amount of distance drove the visage of Steve Harrington from his brain. Leave it to his oblivious uncle to make the connection that Eddie craved to have himself.

Stewing on that for the rest of his drive to Wayne’s, Eddie took long, pensive sips of his incredibly tasty coffee. Though he used the compliment as a spring board out of the store, Eddie was genuine with his words. The beans were obviously high quality, picked with the sort of care only a person like Nancy Wheeler had. The press and subsequent grind of them left no remnants behind, creating a smooth and satisfying mouthfeel with each gulp. Eddie had admittedly lived in the big city for too long – most of the drivel they called coffee there was subpar, barely better than the swill that Wayne liked to cook up for himself. It only made sense that Eddie’s slow down came with a reminder that sometimes things were done their best in a place where care and love led the way. Chicago, despite all of its perks and pluses, was not that type of city.

Regardless of all his inner turmoil, Eddie perked right up when he pulled into the driveway of Wayne’s bungalow. His old man was excitedly standing by the screen door, eagerly waiting for Eddie to return. Adorably, Wayne was out of the door before Eddie put his van into park. The warm set of arms that wrapped around him the second he stepped down from the driver’s seat was one of the main things Eddie’s life had been missing – he knew the truth of that fact the second Wayne pulled him close. How had he gone so long without feeling his pseudo-father’s embrace?

“It’s so good to see you, Wayne,” Eddie said as they pulled away from each other. He kept his hands fisted in his uncle’s flannel shirt, unable to fully detach himself from their rejuvenated closeness. Wayne wasn’t any better off, both hands had moved to cup Eddie’s elbows, his grip light but determined to keep Eddie near all the same.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes, that’s for sure,” Wayne slapped back, laughing through the real feelings encased in that sentiment. “I see you haven’t changed the way you wear your hair.”

And just like that, the distance of thirteen years no longer existed. Eddie leaned into the grief Wayne gave him about his even longer hair and the new collection of tattoos that Eddie added to his skin. He laughed and smiled and felt at home for the first time since he took off and never looked back. As they settled in with a beer and some surprisingly delicious Christmas cookies, Eddie tried to recall again why he ever thought stepping away from such a place was a good idea. He knew, rationally, that the feeling of welcome and the affection of being around a person that cared about him no matter what was pretty blinding. Still, Eddie couldn’t brush off the feeling of rightness that surrounded him.

At least, not since he stepped foot in that stupid coffee shop.

Eddie woke the next morning to the sound of loud knocking on the door. Staying perfectly still on the mattress, Eddie tried to silently will away the person disturbing his sleep. He’d been dead to the world for the first time in thirteen years, stubbornly, Eddie wasn’t ready to give up the satiated feeling.

Wayne, who could be the only person interrupting him so early, didn’t seem to care about the floaty haze of sleepiness that Eddie was chasing. In fact, the knocks that came next were louder and much more persistent than the first round. “Eddie, you need to get up, son. The timing belt in my truck is on the fritz again and I need a ride into school. Harrington called about a possible sub job and I want to check it out.”

“Wayne, I’m on vacation – “ Eddie tried to say, but was quickly stopped by a sharp, high pitched laugh.

“Well, I’m not. Welcome home, son. Get your ass up and give your old man a lift.”

There was no refusing an order like that. Eddie rolled over petulantly a couple of times before realizing his fate and getting up. He was slow to pull on his trusty pair of jeans and shrug into a flannel. Wayne knocked again when Eddie was finishing up the laces on his boots. “You sure know how to take your sweet time. Come on, Ed – I’m going to be late.” Wayne looked so serious saying those words that Eddie’s plan to be a little shit went by the wayside. Despite not really understanding the change in his uncle, Eddie liked what he was seeing. Wayne had a zest for life that Eddie never noticed in him before.

They were just pulling out of Wayne’s neighborhood when Eddie decided it was finally time he got a couple of answers. After all, it was the least Wayne could do after dragging him out of bed so goddamn early. Gripping the steering wheel tight, Eddie shifted into a cruising gear and let himself talk. “When did you start subbing? Steve Harrington was happy to let me know you’re one of his favorites.” Waiting a beat, Eddie tried to calm himself down before saying, “and when did you two become so close? He made it sound like you were buddies or something.”

Wayne’s chuckle meant that Eddie didn’t succeed in remaining cool and unaffected. Eddie turned his head more firmly towards the road to hide the blush his uncle’s reaction brought about. The old man already knew him so well, even with the thirteen year hiatus – Eddie didn’t need biology to continue to give him away.

There wasn’t any further teasing in the silent moments that followed. Eddie wondered if Wayne was simply going to ignore him when his uncle finally spoke up. “I got conned into volunteering at the elementary school a couple of years ago. This woman I was dating had grandchildren that were first and third graders there, so I went along with it. I met Nancy’s youngest boy, Evan, at the fall fair I was working a booth at. He had the brightest little smile, Eddie – just like you when you were a boy.” Wayne looked ethereal and happy, like that moment truly had changed his life. Eddie listened a little closer as Wayne continued. “I started volunteering more and more until one day, Steve asked if I’d be interested in becoming a substitute teacher.” The smile grew bigger, driving Wayne’s next point home even further. “It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, son. I really enjoy working with the kids.”

Eddie didn’t need any further evidence past those words and the happiness radiating off of his uncle in waves. Nodding lightly, Eddie buried all of the other things he wanted to ask – what more could he really question when it came to his uncle’s life? Not being there meant not having much room to talk or suggest or even launch an interrogation. It made him warm and satisfied to know that Wayne had found something that brought him true and tangible joy – even if that meant having to spend any time at all with Steve Harrington. The small moments they were in each other’s presence were a hostile torture that Eddie wasn’t all that sure how he felt about.

As if the universe were listening to his thoughts, Eddie pulled up to Hawkins Elementary to the glorious sight of Principle Steve in action. The same glasses from the day before remained artfully pushed up his nose, but that was all Eddie could find of the man from the coffee shop. Denim was replaced with a dark khaki that accentuated the nice cut of Steve’s thighs. Eddie tried not to think too much about the pert swell of Steve’s ass in the fabric, though the struggle was real. A burgundy button up showcased pecs and biceps and the flash of muscular forearms that rolled up sleeves showed off so teasingly. If Wayne weren’t in the passenger seat, Eddie would’ve parked the car just to stare. It’d been so long and Steve Harrington truly had it going on.

Which meant, of course, that he had to be the worst kind of unobtainable. As he pulled into a parking space to let Wayne out, Eddie caught the tail end of an exchange between Nancy and Steve. Holding the most adorable little boy, Steve looked radiant, like he was right at home. The two obviously knew each other because the child perked up almost immediately. Nancy was smiling her own little grin as she watched the two of them. Then, the worst thing happened – Steve leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Nancy’s cheek. There was a second where the entirety of Eddie’s heart broke into tiny little pieces, though he only allowed the hurt to remain for a second. By the time Wayne unclicked his seatbelt and made to get out, Eddie had himself under control again – his heart and Steve Harrington be damned.

Not making any move to join Wayne outside of the car, Eddie was taken aback by his uncle’s expectant look – “you coming, son? I won’t be able to come back out to the car if they assign me a classroom.” Eddie wanted to shake his head and say no vehemently; after what he just saw, Eddie needed some alone time to cry a bit and lick his wounds. There was only so much heartbreak a person could take. Instead, Eddie shut off the car and followed his uncle into the school.

Despite knowing his uncle was popular with the students, Eddie wasn’t prepared for the welcome Wayne received. All of the kids they passed seemed to know him and the lady working the front desk practically lit up like a Christmas tree when Wayne smiled her way. It was odd to see a Munson received so well in the city of Hawkins – Eddie never would’ve left if he knew the family name he carried wasn’t going to continue to drag him down and through the mud.

Shaking that thought away, Eddie made to follow Wayne but was stopped by Steve Harrington’s torturously lovely voice. How had he managed to sneak up on Eddie again? Not having the willpower to keep pressing on, to ignore Steve and the way he made him feel, Eddie braced himself for another emotional roller coaster ride. Trying to be casual about it, Eddie pulled in a long breath before turning to meet the biggest tease of the century.

Steve looked even better up close. The dark maroon of his shirt brought out the paleness of his skin. That only worked to magnify the beauty marks and freckles Eddie so desperately wanted to map out. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Eddie’s fingers ached to be wrapped around his camera. The vision that Steve made deserved to be preserved on film. Quickly pushing through that urge, Eddie buckled down and did his best to remember his manners. “Hi, Steve. Long time no see.”

Eddie wanted to slap a hand over his face the moment the lame greeting left his mouth. It stood in the air much too long for Eddie’s taste, embarrassing him further. He already was a quivering mess, constantly making a fool out of himself wasn’t going to do Eddie any further good. Though, reminding himself that Steve wasn’t on the market should help to clear up the tripping over his own feet thing. Without the hope of something tangible, Eddie could live his life without trying to impress Steve.

Maybe.

Blinking back, Eddie managed to pick up the last of Steve’s sarcastic – “That’s the magic of living in a small town. We’re bound to run into each other everywhere.”

Already sure he missed half of what Steve said before, Eddie bit into his bottom lip and worked hard to focus. The last thing he wanted to do was make Steve think he wasn’t interested in their conversation. Despite knowing all was lost, Eddie was pathetic enough to still want to revel in Steve’s presence. His heart could take the beating if it meant getting to look upon the work of art Principle Harrington was. Eddie was only a man, after all. He wasn’t above taking the least he could get while the going was still hot.

“Right – how could I possibly forget?” Eddie smiled through the anxiety of those words as their truth settled. They were worth it, however – Steve’s lips quirked into a soft little smile.

“Thirteen years is a long time to be gone, Eddie. The mind lets go of little things like that all the time.” Steve looked serious for a second then that cheeky grin of his returned. “I’m just kidding. Small town life is inescapable, no matter how long you try and run.” There was a moment of silence where Steve stared at Eddie, those hazel eyes taking him in like a specimen under a microscope. Just as quickly as that gaze was upon him, it was gone in a blink – Steve looked over Eddie’s shoulder and beyond, his attention elsewhere already.

Eddie thought that was the end of it, his brief two minutes of connection with his coveted crush, but Steve surprised him by speaking again. “Your uncle continuously bragged on your photography work over the years.” Steve emphasized his words by pointing behind Eddie. It took turning his entire body to see what Steve was gesturing at. Though, the effort was worth it. There, on the far wall, was one of Eddie’s more famous pieces. The far off look Steve had just moments before suddenly made a lot more sense.

Looking the picture over, Eddie thought fondly about the moment captured so beautifully. After a concert in Mexico, Corroded Coffin had their usual meet and greet with fans. Eddie joined in by taking the fans’ Polaroids and official snaps for the band. In between a moment of chaos where one set of VIPs made room for another, Eddie noticed a young boy waiting with his family in line. For some reason, Eddie felt compelled to capture the absolute joy on that boy’s face. Eddie hadn’t ever been so excited to get into the dark room after a show. Months later, that very photo won him a couple of different awards and some noteworthy attention. Of all his work, Eddie was secretly proud of that off the wall accomplishment the most. Though, Eddie never knew that Wayne was, too.

Ducking his head to hide the immense satisfaction he suddenly felt, Eddie willed the blush creeping up his neck to halt in place. When it didn’t, Eddie shifted his focus back to Steve – Steve, who was staring at Eddie like he hung the moon – Steve, who, not even half an hour ago, was kissing Nancy Wheeler’s cheek with a child in his arms. Thankfully, that sudden flash of reality was grounding, much more than enough to bring Eddie back from the floaty yet totally unattainable sense of reality he was trekking towards.

“He’s a proud uncle, what can I say?” The words broke the odd silence both men were lingering in. Even Steve seemed to blink back to himself.

“With every right to be. You’re talented, Eddie.” Steve looked genuine as those words spilled from his mouth. Even more so when he spoke again – “Would you be willing to pick up some work while you’re here? I know you’re on vacation, but the school really could use a bit of a makeover.”

Dumbfounded by the offer, Eddie tried not to sound silly in his reply. “You want me to take photos for you? Portraiture isn’t my usual bag, Harrington.”

Eddie watched Steve turn his eyes back to the photo on the wall before saying anything. Already knowing he wasn’t going to be able to say no, Eddie steeled himself for whatever argument Steve was going to throw his way. Surprisingly, the principle went right for Eddie’s heart. “The winter festival is coming up and the kids get so excited. You’d have the perfect subjects at their very best. Just think of all the candid stuff you’ll be able to get.”

Done in and completely aware of it, Eddie readily agreed. He was smart enough to know that whatever argument Steve came up with next would be even more thorough and heart string pulling than the first. It seemed to be his best bet to simply give in and hang on for the ride. After all, Eddie was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Despite the tiny little detail of Steve being unavailable, Eddie wasn’t above using the events he’d be working to spend a little extra time with his lifelong crush. When all was said and done, Eddie was the one that had to deal with the fallout of unrequited feelings. If he wanted to play with fire a bit before getting burned, well, that was no one’s business but his own.

Bundled up in his leather jacket and a borrowed beanie from Wayne, Eddie met up with the Hawkins Elementary kids at the tree farm. The day was beautiful enough for Eddie to feel eager about pulling out his camera. After talking it over with Wayne, Eddie was kind of honored to be tasked with such artistic creation. He’d been more than ready to branch out past sweaty guys on stage for a long time now. A project that obviously meant a lot to the people involved in the school was a great stepping stone towards work in other areas. It didn’t hurt, either, that Eddie was home during the most picturesque time of the year. No matter what Eddie shot of his subjects, the pictures were bound to be beautiful.

Upon arriving, Eddie tossed a cursory nod Steve’s way before getting right to work. The entire tree farm had been rented out for the school, so Eddie had his choice of chaos to document. For a while, Eddie walked up and down the tree lines, snapping whatever moved him or caught his attention. There was a wonderful shot of a group of small children that were gathered around a big tree looking up at it with awe that Eddie was giddy to develop later on. It’d been way too long since Eddie felt that sort of excitement towards his work. It felt too soon to revel in it but Eddie was genuinely ecstatic about the needed change in attitude.

Still riding that high, Eddie wasn’t prepared for the storybook scene he walked into a couple of hours into the event. Just his luck, Eddie rounded a corner, only to bump into Nancy and Steve talking softly amongst themselves. They looked so cozy that Eddie wanted to shout and scream, to cause a scene – anything to break up the touching little moment happening between the king and his queen. Gritting his teeth, Eddie nodded at them both before powerwalking in the opposite direction he needed to go. The trek back through the trees he already explored was a complete waste of his time, yet anything was better than playing witness to the literal soap opera happening before him.

Tucking himself back into his work, Eddie pointed and clicked until his fingers were numb from all the exposure to the cold. He pushed through it until the tip of the finger he needed to shoot was tingling. Finally able to look up from his trance, Eddie couldn’t help but notice how gorgeous everything around him was. Fresh snow capped the trees and shined brightly in the sun. Chicago was too urban of a place to get a view that wholistic and natural. Usually, Eddie looked out his window to see the next apartment building over or something crazy happening out on the sidewalk. He had to ride his bike or take a cab to the parts of the city that had any foliage at all. Letting himself dwell too much on what the pang in his chest meant was not what Eddie needed in that moment; so, he shook himself out of the haze of dreams and wants to step back into reality.

A reality where, after spending an entire day trying to avoid him, Steve Harrington found Eddie, anyway. It seemed as if that smile and the infuriating man attached to it was following him everywhere. Eddie was too preoccupied with his own internal struggle of not finding Steve absolutely adorable to conjure up a safe and not completely obvious escape strategy – in other words, he was stuck. Stuck and cornered talking to the one person he wanted more than anything else but couldn’t have. The refreshed knowledge of that sad truth made even being around him too hard to bare. Especially after seeing him with Nancy again. The hurt wasn’t new but the scrape against bloodied flesh was raw and fresh. Gritting his teeth to tamper down all of that misery, Eddie tried to smile in Steve’s direction. “Enjoying yourself, Mr. Harrington?”

Steve stared at him for a second, almost as if he were trying to clock Eddie and his attitude, before straightening up and slipping into his normally suave persona. “Abundantly,” Steve said with an air of sarcasm to his tone. He looked over his shoulder, then leaned in to get closer to Eddie. He cupped his mouth like one would when speaking a secret. “I’m allergic to pine. Being here makes my skin crawl for days.”

Taken by surprise, Eddie was unable to stop the laugh that bubbled up from his chest. The noise was loud and rich, in an octave that even Eddie could hear. “Sorry – that’s just… ironic. Why is this one of the activities you plan if you have to down a couple of Benadryl to get through?”

The contemplative look that flitted across Steve’s face was too good a thing to miss out on. With lightening quick hands, Eddie brought his camera up and snapped a handful of shots before Steve caught on and decided to frown or purse his lips unattractively. Eddie didn’t need to look at the back of the camera to know he’d just taken the best images of the evening – he felt their greatness down in the very marrow of his bones. Smiling at the thought, Eddie shifted his attention back to the subject at hand.

Too much of a gentleman to mention it, Steve didn’t say a word about Eddie’s chaotic interruption. He simply smiled a little wider as he went on to talk about the school board and the many decisions that Steve actually didn’t get to make despite being the person literally responsible for the children always being volleyed back and forth and voted over. Despite himself, Eddie listened closely, even felt a bit bad for a principal that just wanted to make positive changes without the means to do so. He wanted to joke about Steve’s ability to charm anyone, to say something about that dazzling smile always getting him his way, but the tone of the conversation didn’t call for that. Eddie was certain an ill-timed joke would make Steve more upset about the situation, not less.

“Keep chomping at the bit, Steve. From the sounds of it, you’re looking to do some real good and make a true difference. That has to mean something to someone. You just have to find the right person.” He gripped his camera in his hands tightly, trying to tamper down on the urge to continue to talk and talk. Instead, Eddie rolled his shoulders and let some of the anxious tension go out into the universe. The urge to babble abated, so Eddie felt confident to speak again. “You’re obviously good at your job, Harrington. Keep that up and things are bound to change.”

Steve was silent for a long moment following Eddie’s last statement. He simply looked over at Eddie unblinkingly. Just as it was starting to get a little eerie, Steve perked up. It was like a switch had been flipped or something. Now full of energy, Steve shifted on his feet until he was suddenly reaching out into the space between them. Shockingly warm fingers were brushing against Eddie’s cheek before he had a chance to brace himself. Eddie tried not to go still or lean into the touch, though he wasn’t all that sure of his success. Steve continued to stare at him, even as he drew his hand away, even as Eddie sucked in a long breath to try and get his heart rate under control.

“You had a – “ Steve started, finally breaking their eye contact to look at his empty hand. “You have snow on your cheek.”

Dumbfounded and a little bit turned on by the weird sequence of events, Eddie nodded his head in thanks. Words were not his friend at the moment – even if he had access to them, Eddie didn’t know what he’d even say. Of course, hitting his knees and begging for more was always an option. Though, taken guys didn’t always react the best to that sort of public display of lust. Something in Eddie’s gut said that Steve probably wouldn’t be THAT opposed, though. For someone committed to one of the most beautiful people in the city of Hawkins, Steve certainly was loose with his attention. Since starting their conversation, Eddie was certain Steve’s eyes hadn’t left him. What did that mean coming from a person that was already someone else’s?

Eddie pondered that question all the way home and well into the next evening. While Wayne was at work, Eddie took up space in a local dark room. Despite never coming back to Hawkins, Eddie didn’t lose touch with all of his friends there. Jonathan Byers, the man who originally put Eddie in the path of his very first camera, was more than happy to lend out his developing space while Eddie was in town. It was a great excuse for the two of them to catch up and talk shop while Eddie got ahead of his work. Steve wasn’t expecting any of his prints until after Christmas, but the excitement coursing through Eddie was too much. If he didn’t put his hands on his photos right from the start, the creative juices could fly right out the window again. Knowing himself and the way his artistic drive worked, Eddie understood the need to wrap himself up in his shots from the get-go. Luckily, Eddie opted out of doing things the new, high tech digital way, and still needed to tactilely work with his images. The excuse to be in the dark, by himself – Eddie always enjoyed the call of film over digital for that reason alone.

The hands-on nature of the job was enough for Eddie to push his quandary with Steve away for a little while. His eyes lit up with excitement and pride as each of the shots Eddie was stoked for the previous day came to life before him. The photo of all the kids gathered around the lot’s giant tree was as gorgeous as Eddie figured it would be – and so was the snap of Steve. Eddie managed to keep him out of his head all the way through the developing process; the mindless nature of culling, printing, and soaking the film took up a lot of brain bytes, almost to the point where thinking about anything else could be detrimental to the ritual. In this case, it wasn’t – Eddie was extra careful with the print of Steve’s smiling face. He soaked it for a couple of extra seconds and took great joy in watching the life of the image overtake the blank whiteness of the printing paper. When it was complete, Eddie hung the photo up to dry, staring dazedly at it. Despite himself, Eddie didn’t get any more work done that afternoon.

Coming out of his Steve induced haze just in time, Eddie took down all of his creations and tucked them into a long brown envelope. Thankfully it was dark as Eddie left Jonathan’s dark room – he wouldn’t need to worry about the sunlight staining the images. With a surprising tenderness and care, Eddie placed the envelope on the passenger seat, watching it with hawk-like vision as he took turns and navigated his way back through town. Eddie toiled over whether to bring them in with him when he pulled up to the elementary school but thought better of it. He would need both hands free to shoot the Christmas play that was next on the work docket, anyway.

The auditorium was decorated to the nines. Upon opening the door, Eddie had to bite down on his tongue to hold back the gasp. In short, the makeshift theater looked like Christmas had reared back and vomited all over every surface. There were hanging snowflakes coming down from the ceiling, while every inch of the walls seemed to be covered with some version of tacky garland. Fairy lights of all hues of white were strung up to give off a haloing glow to contrast the harsh brightness coming from the stage. Eddie blinked a couple of times to finally find the magic in it all. To a small child, the plethora of decorations probably seemed like a typical part of the season. All of the kids funneling out onto the stage were much too young to understand the commercial idiocy that adorned the walls. By the time the show started, Eddie found himself appreciating the gaudiness – after taking a peek at his latest shots and their quality, Eddie couldn’t care less about the backdrop or the environment they were in. The kids and their energy shot so well that happiness and excitement were tangible in every image Eddie looked at, no matter the location.

As the show came to an end, Eddie fled to the back of the auditorium in hopes of staying out of everyone’s way (and avoiding a certain someone, though he’d never admit to it). Eddie worked to break his equipment down and put it away while proud parents and exuberant kids passed him by. He tried to smile and return each of their waves but the sheer abundance of attention felt like too much. Ducking his head to get the job done was much more efficient and had the added benefit of allowing him to hide. Eddie figured he did an okay job of it – he managed to get his flash and all of his lenses away before someone demanded his attention again.

“You’re pretty sneaky, Munson,” Eddie heard Steve say behind him. Straightening up, Eddie turned to face Hawkins Elementary’s principle. Like usual, Eddie’s breath caught at the sight before him. Steve wasn’t quite as casual as Eddie saw him that first day but the button up shirt and khakis were gone, too. Instead, Steve had on an obnoxious gingham sweater and dark blue jeans. He looked every inch an infuriatingly attractive dad. Eddie wondered if Steve’s kids understood the magnitude of their father’s appeal. They probably never would, not with him being the principal and all.

Shaking his head of all those thoughts, Eddie did his best to focus in on what Steve actually said. “It’s part of the job, Mr. Harrington. You can’t see the photographer flitting around at the front of the stage. I’m kind of like Santa in that aspect – everyone is better off not knowing when or where or how I managed to get the shots I do. There’d be no magic, otherwise.” Eddie found himself smiling then, those fresh words coming from his mouth more true than anything else. It’d been such a long time since Eddie saw his art for what it actually was instead of the hustle it became. There was nothing like surprising an audience with a shot that no one expected.

“Well, Mr. Claus, I’m happy you ended up making it. The show was way too good to miss.” Steve’s eyes were alight with amusement and mischief. Eddie couldn’t help but laugh at the look. Only someone ballsy enough to take a principal gig could make a joke like that.

“You’re not wrong. That last solo was killer.”

There was a moment of silence where Eddie went back to packing up his things. Upon turning his back to Steve, Eddie figured the other man would head out like the rest of the crowd – after an hour’s worth of listening to crooning, escape was a basic human necessity. The fact that Steve was still standing there when Eddie was done confused him even more. First the lingering looks and now the incessant need to always be around – if Eddie hadn’t seen Steve and Nancy together with his own eyes, he would’ve been questioning the soundness of their relationship. Most happy people didn’t flirt with the returned town outcast.

Going one step further to totally screw Eddie up, Steve politely invited Eddie out for hot chocolate. He used the guise of wanting to see some of the photos Eddie took already, but they didn’t actually end up looking at any of them. The minutes were passed with easy conversation and moans of satisfaction as Eddie drank not one but two mugs of the best hot chocolate he’d ever had. Steve told him about college and getting into the teaching game. He spoke about being a student athlete and getting hurt, becoming one of the old foogies in his group of friends, even about the reunion he went to with his basketball buddies every year. Yet, never once did he mention kids or a wife. Eddie spent more time wondering why that was than trying to reciprocate with his own half of the conversation. Aside from not having much to contribute (Eddie’s life had been pretty much the same for a decade), Eddie simply liked to listen to Steve talk. It was a beautiful thing that made Eddie’s chest tighten with warmth and want and a new sort of affection that was both foreign and scary. It took genuine effort to push that feeling down and away when they parted later that night.

Still so confused and done in by all that was happening with Steve, Eddie wasn’t at all prepared for Wayne’s annual game night. Despite a thirteen year gap in being home, Twisted Christmas (as Wayne had taken to affectionately calling their big night) was an old tradition. Eddie remembered a couple of Christmas before moving in with Wayne permanently where his parents and grandparents even took part. Usually excited for the evening, Eddie tried hard not to dread spending time with the people he really did care about. Being back home reminded him of all the friendships (or could be ones) that he left behind. Jonathan and Will Byers were the type of guys that Eddie saw himself spending copious amounts of time with. Maxine, who strictly went by Max now, was a spitfire, still filled to the very brim with personality and spunk. There were so many humans in Hawkins that Eddie was already dreading leaving behind. Even a particular one that never seemed to stop haunting Eddie’s steps.

Because the world was out to get him (or maybe it was Wayne), Eddie obviously drew Steve’s name out of the hat when it was his turn to pull for a partner. It only made sense that the person torturing him unknowingly at every turn would be his only hope for salvation throughout the night. With Eddie’s luck, they were either going to win the whole thing or completely flop belly up. He had more random run ins with Steve when actively trying to avoid him than ever before. The odds had to be in his favor.

And thankfully, they were. Eddie dug deep and worked extra hard to stay focused on the tasks at hand. Steve dragged him through beer pong and quarters so Eddie could really shine during all of the card games. They ran the Spades table for so much of the night that Wayne cut that tournament short on account of everyone getting their asses handed to them. At the end of the night that coveted trophy Eddie never managed to win before was finally in his hands. It was made better by the fact that Steve was crowded into his side, beaming with a similar happiness. Eddie had to look away lest he use the ease of the moment to palm Steve’s cheeks and kiss him soundly. Nancy’s presence on the other side of the room helped dispel the urge, too. Despite being wild and rambunctious and admittedly crazy, Eddie wasn’t a homewrecker.

Except, that thought was easy to push away a couple of hours later. After cementing their victory and the party ending, Eddie was too wound up to sit around and do nothing with Wayne. Steve seemed just as excited to get out and celebrate, so he called up Robin and Chrissy to invite them out for the evening. Seeing Chrissy swollen with a baby was such a shock that Eddie completely bypassed Robin talking about their marriage a couple of years ago. Eddie knew that time marched on and people changed but the visual representation of it knocked him off kilter. People their age had families, babies and wives and commitments for the holidays. Being a drifter suddenly didn’t have the same shine to it as before. Not for the first time, Eddie felt the sharp pang of loneliness in the pit of his stomach.

Maybe that was why he allowed himself to do it. Getting drunk was one thing but allowing Steve to drift closer as the night went on was another. Eddie wasn’t strong enough to fight off the closeness but he should’ve been on his toes, should’ve been watching his own back. But, those thoughts made little difference as Steve got closer and closer, as he pulled Eddie into him and pressed their lips together. The warning bell going off in the back of his head wasn’t louder than the raging want that threatened to consume Eddie from the inside out. He was just drunk and desperate enough to climb into the back of a cab with Steve Harrington in tow. A better man would’ve sent him home to Nancy, but Eddie never claimed that title for his own.

For a while, none of the havoc they were wreaking with their actions actually mattered. Eddie was too preoccupied with the taste of Steve on his tongue to care. Like most guys who got way too much action in their teens, Steve kissed like a dream. His lips were eager and soft against Eddie’s. With every push in, Steve countered with a shift of his head or the clench of his hand on whatever part of Eddie he could reach. The twist of their tongues made the onslaught of want flooding Eddie’s brain overtake all of him. He didn’t notice the single man’s apartment they were walking into. He didn’t take into account that only Steve’s stuff was littered around the floor. The only thing that Eddie noticed was the harsh press of Steve’s lips and the rise and fall of heavy breaths.

The two of them untangled from each other long enough to shrug off coats and shirts so bare skin was on display. Eddie didn’t need any further enticing – his hands made quick work of surveying all of the new land on display for him. Clever fingers pinched at nipples and traced the valleys and crevices of Steve’s ribs. The hair artfully splayed along Steve’s lower stomach got too much attention because Eddie had imagined the softness there for much longer than he cared to admit. They were both panting and completely undone by the time Eddie unbuttoned Steve’s pants and stuffed his hand inside.

Steve’s moan echoed throughout Eddie’s head, making him even more desperate to touch. In the years since losing some of his hearing, Eddie hadn’t thought about noise or sound the same way. His touch pulling long groans from Steve’s lips was like music – the loudest, most enticing beat that Eddie had ever heard. The pitch of it didn’t matter when Eddie could lean forward and feel the tangible pleasure in Steve’s chest. His lips were ravenous as his hand worked to stroke Steve from root to tip and back again. Eddie did his best to remember the feeling of Steve in his grip, the softness of his skin despite the rigid nature of his beautiful cock. There were too many things swirling around for Eddie to truly grasp onto anything, however. Especially when Steve dragged himself back enough to say “wait, you too” in a wrecked voice. Focusing following that was much more difficult.

It took a couple extra minutes for Eddie to comply with Steve’s huffed out request. Steve’s cock was just starting to bead pre-cum at the tip, making the glide of Eddie’s hand much smoother. The years of imaging the weight and size of Steve didn’t do the man justice – with so much before him to explore, turning his attention towards anything else was next to impossible.

Though, it ended up being worth it – Steve was impatient enough to tangle their hands up in a lame attempt to get into Eddie’s pants, too. Sucking in a breath at the mere thought, Eddie finally got with the program. He felt bereft without the warm heat of Steve’s length in his hand. The seconds it took to undo his own pants and shove them down were torturous. Now that Eddie had his initial taste, trying not to come back for more was going to be a problem. Already, the small touches they were sharing weren’t enough. At least, that’s what Eddie thought until Steve took Eddie into his own grip and joined in on the fun.

Sometime throughout their desperate song and dance, Eddie’s fingers ended up braided with Steve’s, both of their cocks in that extra tight grip. Their lips were pressed together, though no kissing was happening. They were simply sharing breaths and moans and pleas for more and tighter and faster. Eddie’s mind was hazy at best but even the drunkenness couldn’t hold off the geyser of heat that bubbled up and boiled over without prompting or permission. A surprisingly tender groan of Steve’s name fell from Eddie’s lips – his orgasm sweeping over him like a tidal wave. The weight of it held him under just long enough for the ropes of cum covering his bare chest to feel like the biggest and most satisfactory relief Eddie had ever experienced. It was gloriously capped off by Steve stiffening against him and following him over the edge.

Eddie blinked awake the next morning to a blinding headache and his phone ringing. Turning over onto his hip, panic started to settle in the pit of Eddie’s belly. Instead of the blank wall of Wayne’s guestroom staring back at him, Eddie was met with Steve’s back, instead. All of the sudden, every moment from the night before came rushing back, practically drowning Eddie in all the stupid mistakes he made. Very careful, because Steve was still sleeping like a rock next to him, Eddie got up and out of bed. He hauled in a couple of long breaths to calm himself, to stop the ridiculous regret threatening to take him under. Despite the situation he found himself in, Eddie didn’t normally partake in such illicit affairs. He felt like a hypocrite to say never but Steve was the exception – always had been, always would be.

Hurrying to dress and get the hell out of dodge, Eddie didn’t snoop or explore. In all of his running around, the thought of leaving a note didn’t even occur to him. All that Eddie wanted to do was get away before shit hit the fan. Between humiliation and the desperate desire to do it again, Eddie felt all sorts of twisted up and confused. So much so that he absently answered his phone on the way out to the curb to wait on his uber. The voice on the other side of the phone slowed him down, made Eddie take a step back to actually use his brain and think.

“Hey, Ed. I’m so glad you finally picked up.” Eddie didn’t need to check the caller ID to know that Gareth was on the other side of the line. After making music with him for years and being friends even longer, Eddie recognized the way he said his words and articulated his phrases. He didn’t attempt to hide the shocked noise that came out of his mouth.

Or the expletive – “Gareth – what the fuck do you want, man?”

There was a laugh on the other end of the line, then silence when Eddie didn’t return the gesture. For a second, Eddie thought about hanging up – it would be the right kind of poetic justice that he figured he deserved. Instead, he waited for Gareth to speak. After fucking up Eddie’s world, contacting him at all had to mean something – had to be important somehow.

“Uh, right. First off, I wanted to say sorry. Jeff and Kurt were twenty steps ahead of me when everything happened. It doesn’t excuse our behavior at all but I didn’t know. Not until it was too late.”

“You’re a piece of shit, you know that? I’ve been your best friend for years and you let them replace me. Me, Gareth. I fucking started Corroded Coffin for fucks sake!” Noticing how loud he’d gotten, Eddie bit down into his lower lip, tempering himself. “Tell me what you want, Gareth. Now’s not really the best time.”

“We want you back, Eddie.”

The following conversation kept Eddie company throughout the rest of his ride back to Wayne’s. Gareth told him about Amber and her torrid love affair with not just Jeff but Kurt, too. It was funny to hear his friend recall all of the dramatic breakdowns that happened their first week of touring. Eddie didn’t stop himself from laughing or saying shit like “serves you right” as the tale unfolded. The final fight was the knock in the head everyone needed to remember their loyalty. Though, Eddie couldn’t help but wonder if everything Gareth said was just some elaborate rouse to make up for the fact that Amber was terrible, that the band had made a mistake and needed him back. Not hearing that by the time Gareth was finished felt like an even bigger kick in the pants. Despite his want for this very opportunity just weeks ago, Eddie couldn’t put his heart into saying yes. Not with so much going on in the other parts of his life.

Eddie ended the phone call with a promise to call Gareth back when he made his decision. The mere fact that Eddie didn’t say yes right from the get-go said a lot but having an exit strategy was important, too. With everything that just happened with Steve, Eddie might not have much of a choice. He couldn’t be the person that broke apart a home, no matter how much he wanted to.

A couple of days passed before Eddie resurfaced from the emotional storm he found himself smack dab in the center of. He holed himself away and refused to talk to anyone, to answer calls, to even eat the food that Wayne set out for him. The torrential downpour of so many things happening at once was already too much to handle – inviting anything (or anyone) else into his space just wasn’t an option.

Especially Wayne. The man had a certain sixth sense when it came to Eddie. Walking into the bungalow after his night with Steve, Eddie didn’t even have to say anything. Wayne simply wrapped him up in a hug and pulled him close. Eddie needed the comfort, so he leaned into the embrace. It didn’t last for long, though. Instead of sticking around to explain the situation or ask for advice, Eddie isolated himself. He curled up into a stinky little ball and tried not to think about anything.

The third day of solitude did not go unbothered, however. Eddie heard the door open before Wayne’s booming voice drove him out of bed. “Get your ass up, son. I got you some work today. You need to be at Hawkins Hill in an hour.”

Feeling a sense of deja vu, Eddie turned over in bed to shoot his uncle a seething look. “Not today, Wayne. I can’t take a decent picture right now. My mind’s not right.”

Wayne’s eyebrows furrowed at the sound of Eddie’s sulky voice. Eddie watched him scrunch his nose, noticed his features soften. It was pitying and Eddie couldn’t stand it. “No, no wait – I’ll do it. Just – I need a minute to get my shit together.” His uncle’s sigh of satisfaction meant that he’d been had and bested. At that moment in time, Eddie couldn’t bring himself to care. He needed to use the forward momentum Wayne’s pity made him feel to get through the day and onto the next. At least, when all was said and done, Eddie could make a little money for his time.

Eddie regretted his decision to take the job immediately upon arriving at the hill. The very vivid sight of Nancy Wheeler standing there with Steve made his stomach heave. Stuck between immense guilt and a silent rage for Wayne and his manipulative ways, Eddie made slow work of getting out of the car. He practically crawled to the trunk where he clumsily assembled his camera. Why his uncle would do such a thing to him was beyond Eddie, but he planned to find out and make the man’s life an absolute hell because of it. Taking a deep breath so he didn’t slam the trunk harder than needed, Eddie straightened himself up, plastered on a smile, and went to meet his fate.

Walking up to see Dustin Henderson with his arm wrapped around Nancy’s shoulders was not what Eddie expected when he approached the group waiting for him. He looked between the three adults with so much confusion his head spun. Unable to process the situation, Eddie wordlessly turned right back around and practically sprinted towards his van. His professional reputation be damned – Eddie was missing something and didn’t have the time nor energy to puzzle out what it was. He’d been locked up in his room feeling guiltier than ever. With a completely different situation in front of his face, Eddie’s mind quickly replaced that feeling with shame and embarrassment, instead.

Steve, ever the hero, didn’t give Eddie any space or time to run away completely. “Eddie, wait – “

Eddie stopped in his tracks and turned around sharply, a frown on his face. “What is there to wait for? I’m such an idiot. I thought you and Nancy – that those kids were yours. I’ve been head over heels in love with you, hating myself for it.”

“I didn’t realize you misunderstood the situation until it was too late. Eddie, I’m sorry. Misleading you, even if it wasn’t on purpose, was never the objective.” Steve looked defeated, like he too was deflated like a popped balloon. He tried to smile in Eddie’s direction, though – at least he still had enough hope to do that. “I’m their godfather. Dustin is my best friend and those kids feel so much like mine. When he’s away, I help Nancy with the workload. Little Evan is a handful.”

Laughing, because Eddie had come to know the chaos that was Nancy’s youngest pretty intimately. Like Steve, the little boy was Wayne’s favorite. Throughout their interactions, Eddie got to know Evan better than most of the adults he interacted with. Too bad Eddie didn’t have the foresight to ask the poor kid who his daddy was.

“I’m so embarrassed, Steve. Does everyone know how stupid I am?”

Not answering verbally, Steve closed the space between them to sweep Eddie up into his warm arms. He kissed Eddie’s nose before nodding lightly, his face pinched with affectionate entertainment. “Yes, but we all think it’s cute. Dustin is very flattered by the ego boost – if he can score someone in my league – “ Steve trailed off, saving his friend the humiliation of finishing that statement.

Despite himself, or maybe because of his ridiculousness, Eddie smiled.

One Year Later

The Christmas fair was in full swing – Steve was very firmly wearing his principal pants while Eddie enjoyed the freedom of wandering around at will. The little beings that usually clung to his leg were off somewhere with their mother, trying to con her into buying a corn dog or a second helping of cotton candy. Nancy corralled the kids for a little while to give Eddie a few minutes of peace to work. Since moving back to Hawkins, Eddie took up the mantle of town photographer, capturing all of his neighbor’s memories and triumphs. Though it was a far reach from his former position, Eddie appreciated the flexibility of not being on tour nine months out of the year. Every day brought him something new while the opportunity to work with those he loved never changed. For Eddie, after years of loneliness and not fitting in, the job was picture perfect.

Bringing up his camera to capture a soft moment between Robin and her youngest daughter, Eddie was reminded of his good fortune once again. In the past year of existing, more laughter, fun, and happiness lingered in Eddie’s life. He made friends with fellow creatives like Robin, who ran the local radio station, and Lucas Sinclair, who painted in the studio where Eddie rented his dark room space. The people he always imagined hating him quickly became extended family that never blinked an eye at him and Steve together. No matter how much Eddie learned about Steve and his love, the doubt always lingered.

Of course, all Eddie had to do now was look down at the smooth tungsten on his left ring finger. As Eddie snapped another couple shots of Chrissy and Dustin chatting with each other, Eddie vividly remembered the complete feeling that struck him when Steve hit one knee and asked him to be his forever. The happy looks on his family’s faces constantly reminded him of that joy. Later, when Steve waited for Eddie at the end of the aisle, he hoped to see similar looks to cling to and recall.

Like the universe was listening to him, Steve appeared out of nowhere, his arms wrapping around Eddie’s shoulders from behind. Leaning back into him, Eddie gave himself over to the happiness coursing through him. The kiss on his forehead had Eddie looking up, a soft smile overtaking his lips.

[codenamejudas]

were you named after anyone? "Naw. Not that I know of anyway."

when was the last time you cried? "I don't...actually remember. I'm not trying to be all macho about it, I'm sure it wasn't long ago, but I legit don't know off the top of my head."

do you have kids? "Biological, no."

do you use sarcasm a lot? "Eh, 50/50. Sometimes it pays to be blunt about bullshit."

what's the first thing you notice about people? "If they're wearing a band shirt, then that. Otherwise, voice."

what’s your eye color? "Brown."

scary movies or happy endings? "Happy endings."

any special talents? "I can recite pi to over a hundred digits at any given time."

where were you born? "Detroit."

what are your hobbies? "Does smoking count? I do quilting, knitting, crochet, and sewing in general. Instruments, I play guitar, bass, drums, steel- mostly lap steel though-, and I can tinker around on a few others but nothing I could play on stage."

have any pets? "Not unless there's something living in the car I don't know about."

what sports do you play/have you played? "HAH!"

how tall are you? "Five-foot-four. So like...162 cm?"

favorite subject in school? "Math in general but I got on well with physics and chemistry too."

dream job? "You're looking at it. I got no hours to keep, and no bills to pay. Livin' the dream."

tagged by @annasbowlerhat

were you named after anyone? I was almost named Wilhelmina after the lady from Dracula

when was the last time you cried? it's been ages, life's been pretty good to me

do you have kids? naw

do you use sarcasm a lot? moreso on the internet, but i don't have much chance or reason too irl

what's the first thing you notice about people? facial expression

what’s your eye color? brown

scary movies or happy endings? happy endings

any special talents? i can bend the singular top knuckles on all of my fingers while locking the others below straight. this does absolutely nothing of value but i can do it XD

where were you born? good old canadia

what are your hobbies? writing, a tiny bit of drawing but no genuine talent there, learning random things (i will get balls-deep in a subject of zero importance/relevance so fast you have no idea)

have any pets? sadly no

what sports do you play/have you played? played on the badminton team in elementary

how tall are you? 5'3 (160 cm)

favorite subject in school? i liked english right up until high school when it became zero creativity and 100% regurgitating what the teachers wanted to hear about very specific and filtered subjects. high school biology was fun

dream job? can i get paid to look pretty? or if not pretty then at least semi-presentable?

[everliving-everblaze]

6, 11, and 12 for the book ask game? also hii cath hope you're doing well <33

HI QUIL I LOVE YOU

6. what books have you read in the last month?

Oooh! Okay, I read and LOVED the two books that are out so far of the Supernatural Investigations (Amari) series. It was SUCH a fun middle grade fantasy, and honestly reminded me of KotLC in all the best ways, but with all of its own fun too. Highly recommend!!

I also finished the Newpointe 911 series, which is like... Christian murder mysteries? And I generally liked those, but sometimes they're. mmm.. a bit conservative evangelical for my taste.

And then I read a couple of books I picked up at the library because they looked interesting! The first was The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy, which I ended up loving; another middle grade fantasy with some really neat characters. It was a little slow at times, but the themes paid off. My only real complaint about it is, sadly, there are no dragons, and the title made me think there would be dragons. :( And the second was Promposal, which has a GORGEOUS design, but ended up not super being my thing. I'm not that into like. modern teen romances, and I also didn't think it was brilliantly written. But it was still fun!

11. what non-fiction books do you like if any?

It's not what I gravitate towards, but I've definitely loved some nonfiction. My favorites are story-like, like The Hiding Place and What Is a Girl Worth?, which are both SO incredibly good. I also love Stephen King's On Writing; I have a quote from it saved in my notes app, that goes:

I have never hesitated to ask myself, either before starting the second draft of a book or while stuck for an idea in the first draft, just what it is I'm writing about, why I'm spending the time when I could be playing my guitar or riding my motorcycle, what got my nose down to the grindstone in the first place and then kept it there. The answer doesn't always come right away, but there usually is one, and it's usually not too hard to find, either.

12. did you enjoy any compulsory high school readings?

Honestly, not a lot? because even if I did like a book, it was kind of overshadowed by the required fast pace of reading it and all. But there are a couple I remember liking in middle school, including the above mentioned The Hiding Place, as well as Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice (though, that one is hard for me to grapple with these days because of the antisemitism). And actually, if we go all the way back to elementary school, I remember reading The Giver (I think in sixth grade) and The Witch of Blackbird Pond (I think in fifth grade) and liking both.

ask game; my ask box

[soulsxng]

Rules, tag 10 followers  you want to get to know better!

Tagged by: @sansloii​​ Tagging: steal it from me!

Name: Aya, Riah, Rai-rai. I noticed there's a lot of people that pronounce Aya like...(the letter) A-yah, but it's actually Ai-yah. Riah is Rai-ah.

Star Sign: Sagittarius sun, Libra moon, Cancer rising!

Height: 5'9" (I shrank a little, weh.)

Middle name: It's a secret c: I'll just say that it's a super common one.

Put your itunes/spotify/youtube on shuffle. What are the first 6 songs that popped up? (*puts the bigass master youtube playlist on shuffle and shrugs tbh*)

Mon.ster H.unter: World - V.aal Ha.zak theme (FalKKonE metal arrange)

La La Latch (Pentatonix)

The Reverberation Ensemble (StudioEIM)

Requiem (Chogakusei cover)

Kisaragi Station (nqrse)

Put Your Records On (Corinne Bailey Rae)

Ever had a poem or song written about you: I have, a few times! When we were still in elementary school, my little bro wrote a poem about me for class. And then I had a group of friends write a song about me when I was in high school (I had been dealing with The Big C at the time and was in the hospital, and they wrote it to cheer me up. It made me cry orz)

When was the last time you played air guitar: I'm more of a random dancing/wiggling randomly when music is playing type. Oh! Actually, it was a few weeks ago, because I was messing with my little sister while I was visiting her at work. That was an air banjo though, from an inside joke I have with my siblings.

Who is your celebrity crush?: I don't think I have one? That feels like a cop out though, so I'll say that I'm a big fan of Ol.an Ro.gers? He's hilarious. Me, my wife, and a few of our friends got to meet him last year actually, and it was a lot of fun!

What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?: FUCKIN-- okay so there's a lot of bad sounds out there, but one that has been a pet peeve of mine for a long time? People chewing with their mouth open, or sucking on their teeth a lot. OH, ALSO SUPER HIGH PITCHED NOISES. Like when movies and stuff play that like...tinnitus noise sometimes?

As for a sound I like, uh...it's sort of hard to explain, but sometimes when you hear people singing a harmony, if the voices line up perfectly, you can naturally hear what's called an overtone. I might have to look for a video or something, but essentially, you can hear a pitch the next octave up from one of the harmonized notes even though nobody is singing it. It's super cool, and gives me goosebumps every time. It occurs in instrumental harmonies too, iirc?

Do you believe in ghosts?: Kinda? I guess it depends on the circumstance.

How about aliens: I mean, yeah. I think it's scarier to believe that we're the only planet out there with intelligent life and whatnot on it, than to believe that there's others out there that we just haven't encountered, yet. Also, the odds of that are just astronomically low anyway.

Do you drive?: I do! Where I live, it'd be kind of impossible to not have either me or Kei able to do so. Plus I just enjoy it overall, most of the time.

if so have you ever crashed: Nope! I've been driving for like 13 years now (started a little before I turned 15, shhh), and haven't had any accidents.

What was the last book you read?: Uhhh I think it was MDZS book...5? Whichever one just released earlier this month. Otherwise, it was The Starless Crown.

Do you like the smell of gasoline: Diesal, nah. It makes me gag. Regular gas...eh. I'm indifferent to it. Unless it's rancid gasoline, in which case, it also makes me gag.

What was the last movie you saw?: ...I think it was the D&D movie? I'm gonna be honest, I watch very little tv, and very few movies.

What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?: I guess it would be from when I was in like 9th grade? I was sledding with some friends, and we were at this massive hill, having fun and being stupid. It was fine, but there was part of the hill that the snow plows liked to push snow from the parking lot into. So there was a big snow pile off to the side, and because I'm in a state known for the bitter cold, these piles might as well have been-- as I referred to them when I was a teenager-- small glaciers lmao.

Anyway, random fun fact, but the average sled speed on a decently sized hill is like 20mph. (can't remember where I learned that though so don't quote me on it) This hill was especially steep, so I want to say that I was going even faster than that, I got bumped into by one of my friends about 3/4ths of the way down, and slammed into the of one of these frozen slowplow piles full force before I could stop myself or roll off the sled. I hit the entire right side of my body, but mostly my thigh.

The resulting bruise was so severe (It was a bone-deep bruise over most of it. The doctor that saw me afterwards thought I had been in a car crash!), that if you were to touch my right thigh even now, you can still feel the muscular scarring it left. Yeah though, it's from like...just a little above my knee, to just below my hip.

Do you have any obsessions right now?: Probably Eld.en R.ing. I've been on and off of obsession with that since it came out, and obviously rn is one of those "on" periods! Singing is always an obsession of mine, same with dog stuff (specifically training/behavior/health related stuff), aaaand...worldbuilding stuff. Like the deep, almost scientific worldbuilding stuff that I probably won't have any reason to share with anyone else, but will randomly babble at Kei about while she's captive in my car and my mind has clung to one idea in particular.

[astra-galaxie]

Lucia Ramirez

Biographical information

Full Name: Lucia "Lucy" Ramirez

Alias(es): Lucky Lucy (nickname)

Gender: Female

Status: Alive

Age: 10 (season 1)

Birth: 2002

Race: Human

Nationality: Mexican-Spanish

Origin: Grimsborough, USA

Residence: Grimsborough, USA

Family:

Eduardo Ramirez (father)

Valentina Ramirez (mother)

Arturo Ramirez (brother)

Mariposa Ramirez (sister)

Itzel Ramirez (sister)

Profile

Height: 4'6" Age: 10 (season 1) Weight: 75lbs Eyes: brown Blood: B-

The second oldest of four children, Lucia has straight black hair that goes past her shoulders, and she usually pulls it up into a high ponytail with her bangs brushed to one side. She has her father's eyes but her mother's skin tone. She wears a high neck white, sleeveless shirt trimmed with blue and a blue vest. Her matching blue skirt is actually a skort (skirt/short combo), and she has white and blue sneakers on her feet. Lucia has a set of cherry earnings for accessories that were a gift from her siblings.

Synopsis

Lucia is the oldest daughter of Eduardo and Valentina Ramirez. She has an older brother, Arturo, and two younger sisters, Mariposa and Itzel. She has spent her whole life living in Grimsborough and, during season 1, attends the local elementary school. She appears a few times during The Case of The Criminal with her sisters. The most notable time was for the GBPD's Halloween party, where she and her sisters dressed as the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus.

She is a very athletic and sporty person. She participates on sports teams in the summer, like soccer (football) and baseball. During the school year, she does gymnastics and swimming in her free time. Even though she likes moving around and hates sitting still, Lucia also enjoys playing video games with her siblings.

She loves bragging about her father, who became a private investigator in season 2 and made him promise to take tons of pictures of Pacific Bay for her when he moved. Lucia and her family always made video calls every weekend, and her father called every night and morning to wish his kids good night and good morning, even if the time difference wasn't in his favour.

Story Information

First appeared:

Bomb Alert on Grimsborough (cameo)

Happy Birthday to You! (first speaking role)

Trivia

Lucia aspires to be a cheerleader like her mother when she's older

She is on the Grimsborough Junior Gymnastics team

She earned the nickname "Lucky Lucy" because she has a knack for winning guessing games. For example, guessing how many candies are in a jar. People would tell her that Lady Luck must be on her side, and eventually, the nickname stuck

Her earrings are cherries because someone told her siblings cherries are a sign of good luck

Lucia loves making music and dancing with her dad

She is learning how to fence from her mother

She likes listening to her brother play the guitar

Her favourite thing to do with her sisters is to paint each other nails

Disclaimer: Character design was created using Rinmarugames Mega Anime Avatar Creator! I have only made minor edits to the design! Background courtesy of CriminalArtist5.

Links to my stories:

The Case of the Criminal (Ao3/Wattpad)

Killer Bay (Ao3/Wattpad)

Where in the World are the Killers? (Ao3/Wattpad)

[neurosky]

Invisible Disabilities Week October 16-22

so! i'm a little late on this, because i didn't know it was invisible disabilities week until today. i wanted to share some of my experiences living with multiple invisible disabilities in honor of this week.

(long post, but important)

to start off, i want to make it clear that invisible disabilities can be physical conditions as well as mental health conditions. a lot of people don't see mental illnesses as disabilities, but they are!

before i tell you my story, i want to ask everyone who doesn't know my blog already to picture me. i have dyed purple, curly hair. i'm fairly short, pale, and i wear a lot of hoodies. i like swimming, writing, and playing guitar. i look like a normal highschooler.

if i stood in front of a group of people i had never met before and told them i was disabled, how many of them do you think would believe me? unfortunately, not a lot.

now, here's my story.

the conditions that disable me are tourette's syndrome, functional neurological disorder, and mental illnesses that are currently undiagnosed (we've been trying to figure out what it is for over a year now - no answers yet).

i hear ableist comments a lot, things like, "you can't have that many conditions at once," "you're too young to be disabled," and the one that's most relevant to this topic, "you don't look disabled." these comments are extremely insensitive and downright ableist.

i may not "look disabled" from the outside, but there are so many things that most people can't see unless they're close to me or are me. i struggle with school, jobs, and a lot of smaller things on a daily basis.

i've struggled with school since elementary, but it only became a huge issue in 9th grade. i started off 9th grade in a mainstream public highschool, but i had to change to an alternative school halfway through the year. being in a mainstream school was so stressful and overwhelming to me at the time that i ended up being hospitalized due to my mental illnesses. my tourette's had also really kicked up in late 8th grade, and i was struggling to keep up with the amount of schoolwork i was assigned in my original highschool because of it.

i stayed in that alternative school for the rest of 9th grade, but i still struggled massively. my mom had to sit in class with me because my anxiety was so high that i couldn't focus on anything, and i was still missing assignments because of it. she would also have to type for me at times, because my tics would keep me from typing normally.

the summer after 9th grade, i ended up needing a wheelchair due to leg weakness from fnd and tics that made me stumble or fall over. this proved to be an issue in 10th grade, as i started going to a new school that wasn't very accessible. at this point, i was in a partial hospitalization program for my mental health, and i didn't have time to go to school full time. i couldn't go to the alternative school anymore because of health risk reasons (the school's fault this time, actually), so i ended up going to another alternative school. this school was closer to a mainstream-type school, but the way they did things was just a bit different. i only had half days there because of the program i was in, and i missed a lot of class due to health issues. i still struggled to keep up with everyone else.

somewhere between the beginning and middle of the year, i changed schools again, going back to the mainstream highschool this time. my schedule had finally opened up enough to go to school full time. unfortunately, my mental and physical disabilities made it extremely hard to keep up and go to school every day. for a while, i was leaving in the middle of school every day. this is when i finally got my 504 accommodations. i ended up having half days again.

now, i'm still in that mainstream highschool, but i have a full schedule. i still have my 504 accommodations. i've had multiple people tell me i don't really need my accommodations. from the outside, i guess it kinda does look like i don't need them. but from the inside, from the perspective of my close friends and family, from my perspective, it is very obvious that i do need them. i simply can't function in school without them.

the reason i struggle with jobs doesn't have as much of a story behind it. i simply can't commit to going into work when i need to. i don't know when i'm going to be in the hospital or have really bad health days. i have appointments at least twice a week. i barely have any money, but i don't have any official way to make any. if i tried to get a job, i would be fired within a month.

i also struggle with simple daily tasks. showering, brushing my teeth, cleaning my room, etc. i rarely have enough motivation and energy to do those things. i'm on a swim team, but i struggle to make it to practice a lot of the time.

now, i go back to the beginning of this post. if i told all of this to that same group of strangers, how many of them do you think would believe i was disabled? most of them, probably.

a lot of people have this idea in their heads that people have to be in a wheelchair to be disabled, have to be paralyzed, or missing a limb. some people have that idea so deeply engrained in them to the point where they wouldn't believe that someone was disabled, simply because they're not in a wheelchair, or missing a limb.

they don't see the struggle that goes on internally. they don't realize that people can struggle in different ways. they don't see how much people with invisible disabilities are neglected and ignored.

this needs to change. just because someone isn't in a wheelchair, or paralyzed, or missing a limb, doesn't mean they aren't disabled.

we exist. we aren't lying. we aren't being dramatic. we aren't lazy. we have an invisible disability.