He’s not sure why he even comes to these parties anymore. He used to sell at the frat houses, made his rounds until he was out of product, made more money than any minimum wage job he could find near campus.
But he hasn’t in a while. Months, at this point.
It’s just that every time he came to one of these idiotic showing of riches and popularity, the most beautiful man he’d ever seen was sitting in the corner of the kitchen watching with a faraway look in his eyes. Sometimes he stood in a group of people in the living room, but never contributed to the conversation. Once, Eddie saw him swinging his feet back and forth in the water of the hot tub on the back patio with three different couples making out inside it, completely zoned out.
Eddie needs to keep an eye on him. Hence, he attends the stupid parties.
And it’s stupid, to go through so much trouble for a guy he doesn’t even know, who probably doesn’t even notice him back. It’s stupid, but Eddie’s never claimed to be very bright.
Which is probably why he walks up to the guy when he’s about two seconds from punching Tommy Hagan, grabs his wrists, and tugs.
“The fuck are you?” He asks Eddie, reasonably confused and angry at being interrupted by a stranger.
Eddie could feel his pulse against his fingers, swore he could feel a spark of electricity flow between them.
“Eddie. Just leave him. Whatever he did isn’t worth it,” he said through clenched teeth.
His fingers tightened around Steve’s wrists as he considered trying to pick him up, throw him over his shoulder, and walk out of this party entirely.
“How the hell do you know?” Steve wasn’t trying to pull away.
Eddie didn’t let himself think about that too much.
“I just know nothing Hagan does is ever worth trouble for you. C’mon,” Eddie tugged on his wrists again, and this time, it seemed to catch the guy off guard.
“Didn’t know you were into freaks, Harrington,” Tommy said as they took a few steps away from him. “If you’re gonna be gay, you could at least have taste.”
Eddie froze.
The guy, Harrington, tried to pull his wrists loose, but Eddie didn’t let him.
He turned to Tommy, the guy who almost got him arrested for selling at his party only a few months ago, and smirked.
If he was gonna out someone to a stranger, Eddie had no problem doing the same right now.
“And you just sucked my dick because you wanted to add it to your résumé?” Eddie grinned at Tommy, who quickly looked around to make sure no one else heard.
“As if I would-“ he tried to say, but Harrington cut him off.
“You forget you say shit when you’re high. You told me about it already. I think your exact words were, ‘he had the best dick I’ve ever seen, Steve.’ Or am I mixing that up with another dick?” Steve pulled one arm loose from Eddie’s grip, brushed hair from his face, and let it relax at his side.
Eddie could let go now, he was sure if anyone would start something at this point it would be Tommy. But Steve wasn’t trying to pull his other wrist loose and Eddie liked the warmth of him in his hand.
“Whatever man, just go. You don’t even wanna be here,” Tommy turned and left before Steve could respond.
Eddie finally let go, but he didn’t like the immediate sense of loss that filled his chest.
“You always interrupt strangers before they fight?” Steve asked him, hands shoved into his pockets.
Eddie really looked at him, inspected him. He only ever saw him at these parties, so the lighting was shit, but he’d noticed the dark shadows under his eyes a while ago. He noticed that he held himself in a way that showed he was always ready for a fight. Steve’s hair had gone flat over the last month or so, not nearly as voluminous or shiny as it had been at the start of the year.
“Are you okay?” He asked instead of answering the question.
“I’m fine, dude.”
Eddie shook his head. “You don’t seem okay.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“Just seems like something is bothering you,” Eddie wouldn’t push more, not if Steve was actually gonna get mad. But something told him that nobody pushed Steve to talk enough.
Eddie had Wayne back home, and his friends in his band here, and a couple coworkers at the bar he worked at twice a week now that he could joke around with. Steve didn’t even seem to have the people he hung around with.
“Why does it matter to you if something is bothering me?”
That’s a fair question. Why does it matter to him?
“Maybe because I just wanted to help. That’s what people do, right?”
“Not for me, usually.”
Eddie stepped closer, barely leaving space between them. “Well, I am.”
Steve stared back at him, shoulders dropping and eyes losing that angry fire.
“Why?”
Eddie was an idiot sometimes, but he was able to read people pretty well. It’s what kept him safe for most of middle and high school, and made him friends in college.
He knew what it looked like to be lonely and depressed, and Steve had check marks next to both of those.
“You wanna get out of here?” Eddie asked, once again avoiding his question.
“And go where?”
“I’ll show you my favorite getting high spot.”
“I don’t really smoke with strangers,” Steve seemed nervous.
“You don’t have to smoke. I’m just gonna show you the place.”
He watched Steve think about it, noting the way his brows scrunched together, how he bit his bottom lip, how he looked at the ground instead of at Eddie.
“Fine. But if you murder me in the woods, my mom will have you hanged,” Steve finally said.
“Hanged? Do they even do that anymore?”
Steve giggled. “Probably not. But she’d find a way.”
“Well, I’ve got no interest in murdering you, big boy.”
The blush that filled Steve’s cheeks was stunning. A perfect pink dusting his skin, giving him a healthier glow than what he’d had for a while.
“What do you have interest in?”
Eddie could say any number of things to flirt, make his true intentions clear, maybe even go straight back to his single dorm instead of showing Steve anywhere.
But Eddie figured that’s all Steve was used to, or maybe he was always the one who had to put an effort into things.
Maybe he wasn’t used to getting treated like a human being.
“I’d like to get to know you. Parties like this aren’t really a good place to learn about someone’s favorite song or what they snack on when they wake up in the middle of the night.”
Steve seemed shocked by this answer, but his features quickly melted into a soft smile, one Eddie would want to see every single day.
“Fine. But it’s not a date,” Steve held out his hand, ready to be led.
Instead of lacing his fingers with Steve’s, or even just grabbing his hand in his palm, he wrapped his fingers around Steve’s wrist again.
“We’ll see.”
———
On graduation day, Steve and Eddie found their way back to their spot, one they’d probably never visit again.
Eddie’s fingers were curled around Steve’s wrist as they stood facing each other, close enough to feel each other’s breaths against their lips.
Nearly two years together, nearly 300 trips to this spot, and more than 500 dates that they never called dates.
And it was just the beginning.
Eddie leaned in to press his lips to Steve’s gently, keeping it soft so they wouldn’t get carried away.
They had to meet Wayne at the Italian restaurant in less than an hour and then Steve’s mom expected them back at Steve’s apartment for a wine and dessert celebration.
They wouldn’t be properly alone like this again for at least a couple days, but they didn’t have time to do much about it right now.
“I love you,” Eddie whispered as he rested his forehead against Steve’s.
“I love you, too,” Steve said back.
He didn’t have dark shadows under his eyes anymore, spending more nights sleeping in bed with Eddie than awake at parties he didn’t want to be at. His hair had most of its shine back. He’d put on a few pounds after joining the gym again, using it as an outlet for stress instead of hiding in corners at parties where he would drink just enough to get buzzed four times a week.
He made friends with Eddie’s friends, plus some of his own when he got a part time job at the coffee shop on campus.
Steve never spoke to Tommy again, at least as far as Eddie knew. He didn’t seem interested in being his friend again, and once he told Eddie more about their “friendship”, he couldn’t really blame him.
“You ready to go see Wayne?” Steve asked him, probably more excited than even Eddie was.
Wayne and Steve bonded quickly and they’d probably spend most of the lunch talking about sports and where they would go fishing this summer.
Eddie nodded, but he pulled something from his pocket before Steve could pull away and start walking back to the car they now shared.
“What’s that?” Steve asked, pointing towards the envelope in Eddie’s hand.
“It’s a gift from me to you. Well, I guess both of us, but I really got it for you.”
He handed it to Steve, who opened it quickly.
He pulled out the paper inside and Eddie watched his eyes fly across the words written there.
“Eddie.”
“Stevie.”
“You got us a trip to Italy? How the fuck did you get us a trip to Italy?” Steve was looking at him, eyes wet with tears.
“Doesn’t matter how. Wayne gave us some money for it, so did your mom. I’ve been saving for a year. Want us to have something special before we have to start working.” Eddie kissed his forehead. “Plus I want any excuse to see you in some of those see-through linen shorts.”
Steve’s lips were on his, his arms wrapped around Eddie’s neck. Eddie wrapped his arms around his waist to hold him there.
“I’ll wear them every day,” he gasped as he leaned in for another kiss.
Eddie laughed. “You won’t hear any complaints from me, sugar.”
“I can’t believe you did this. All I got you was a t-shirt.”
“You know I love t-shirts. I know you love Italy. It’s a win-win for both of us.”
Steve rolled his eyes, but kissed him again.
His eyes widened. “Oh my god. Are you gonna propose in Italy?”
Eddie snorted. “Why would I answer that question?”
“Because! I have to know!”
“Why?”
“So I can make sure I have a nice outfit for pictures, dumbass.”
“You’ll just have to wait and see. You look good in everything,” Eddie kissed the top of his head before he wrapped his fingers around Steve’s wrist and tugged on it once. “Let’s get to Wayne before he sends a search party.”
Eddie smiled to himself as they walked to the car, Steve’s rambling about what he wanted to do in Italy keeping his mind from wandering too far. He couldn’t help thinking about the ring he had stashed away in his guitar case, though.
Italy was the perfect place to propose.
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So I can watched episode 7 of My Stand in yesterday and I’m having some feelings.
I know we’re all loving Ming’s realization and what that means for him and Joe, but I’ve been thinking about what it says about Tong.
Think about what the audience knows about him initially: he’s a huge action star with a big fan base. From behind, his stand-in is identical to him. His girlfriend is the daughter of a rich family and her brother is desperate for his attention.
The first time we see him, he’s late for the shooting. He walks in with food without a care and says he would have come in later if he’d known they were going to have to move locations. The next bit I remember is the pool rescue scene, and he ditches that and has Joe do it. He’s so uninterested in his job he doesn’t even want to go to a press conference for a movie he’s starring in.
This is the biggest action star in the film industry and we don’t see him act once.
For me, I’m getting the implication that after Tong became famous, he got bored with the actual process of acting, but still uses his notoriety to do basically whatever he wants. So what if he shows up late? What are they going to do, fire him?
Even when the director threatens to kick him out of the movie if he doesn’t go to the press conference, he doesn’t even flinch. To him, it’s an empty threat. It’d be like kicking Tom Cruise out of the Top Gun franchise or Mission: Impossible.
Another crewmember even says the movie will be a disaster if they replace Tong with someone else, let alone a stand-in.
We the audience know that Joe has been Tong’s stand in for a while. He’s clearly been picking up a lot of the slack that Tong has been dropping, and he’s good at what he does, and Tong knows it. He knows it better than anyone.
Episode 7 shows us the scene that made Tong famous, and then reveals that he didn’t even do it. Joe did. And nobody knows because Joe was new and didn’t get credited. All the fame, all the notoriety, it should be Joe’s. And I think Tong is aware of it. Not that he thinks Joe deserves it, not at all. But he is 100% aware of what Joe does for him. Joe does all the work, and he gets to slap his name on there and take the credit.
The episode 7 reveal is fantastic because it adds so much more depth to what we have in episode 4: Tong isn’t just enraged at the audacity his stand-in has to try and replace him, he’s terrified because he knows he could.
TL;DR: Tong is a hack and he sits on a throne of lies. I can’t wait for this bitch to get his comeuppance.
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Severed - Worm Fanfiction Review
CW: Suicide and canon typical gore.
I don't think I've so eagerly anticipated an imaginary and, likely unwritten at the time of this post, scene in fanfiction than @heyitschartic's Severed. I've been following this series since it was posted three years ago. I'll avoid spoilers and the scene I'm imagining in question will be under the cut, but the basic premise is that Jack Slash chooses Skitter as his nominee during the Slaughterhouse 9 arc, rather than Oni Lee, who was disappointing, and Golem, who he later contrived the entire S9k arc for.
I will say that this work is a beautiful plunge into What Ifs which look all the more horrifying if you compare them against canon. You get flashback snippets of the S9 arc retold from a few perspectives before being thrust into post-GM, maybe pre-Ward? era with modern Skitter. I can certainly say that Severed blows all other S9!Taylors out of the water, Taylor is authentic in ways I haven't seen with anyone else. 10/10, each chapter is at it's absolute peak and it has 11 chapters as of this post. Each gut-punch has me anticipating the next chapter, only for the next chapter to explain why Taylor's friends and enemies hate her so much. I gasped when Tattletale said that to her. I strongly recommend Severed to anyone and everyone who hasn't already read it yet. Here's the link:
Oh wait does this count as the first of my Worm fanfic reviews--
So, I've read chapter 11 and I've been having Taylor and her clone rotating in my head endlessly, but the scene I'm anticipating is the one hinted at in Chapter where Defiant wants Taylor to go under the knife with Bonesaw again so Riley can fix all of Taylor's everything that is physically wrong with her, because her body is practically bio-tinkertech, even after they ripped almost everything else out.
I can only imagine Taylor reiterating that she refuses to be put under for the procedure, and using every moment to vent her anger and frustration on a Riley that is likely seeing marked improvement in her therapy (maybe). But Taylor keeps hitting her with blow after blow. "They'll never let you work on anyone else ever again, so you had better not kill me." and "Nobody will ever let you willingly touch them, I'm the only one who you can use your tinker abilities on, and that can change if I don't need you anymore." "If you ever find someone you can trick into letting you touch them, hold them, or even work on them, I'll kill them. It'd be better than the fate worse than death that letting you touch someone inflicts, and I should know, I'm living through it."
Maybe Chartic has something else planned, but I would like to see this Bonesaw cry. An unshakable, unmoved Taylor just heaps on the abuse through her own tears of pain, holding Riley hostage even as she roots through her guts to put her back together. It's very Taylor to fight through pain to force people to help her. The last time they saw each-other, Riley was doing well. I don't think she'll be doing very well after they meet again.
Maybe an overseeing team of surgeons and Capes become increasingly uncomfortable as Riley is tormented. They find themselves defending Bonesaw of all people, from one of her former victims too.
I'm sorry if this is unsolicited Chartic, but I can't wait to see their reunion, whatever form it takes. Severed's way of making Taylor suffer the consequences of her own actions, while invoking sympathy simultaneously with disgust at Taylor's betrayals; the depths she's sunken to, and then to finally wrap it up with shame and admonishment of her friends, turned victims, is masterful. How dare either they or I judge her for what she had to do to survive. Each chapter reveals that it got worse and worse. At some point, I suspect that (one of) the reasons that Taylor is being given such little leeway by the rest of the cast and remains constantly under the threat of harsh re-imprisonment or execution by vengeful kill-teams is because she somehow became the worst member of the Slaughterhouse Nine or even surpassed them in notoriety.
Tattletale telling Skitter to kill herself was such an insane scene that I stood up and covered my mouth. I was in disbelief. But knowing now that Skitter had betrayed the Undersiders to a slaughter by Mannequin (after having sacrificed her own father and, essentially, her own pre-cape life and innocence with him. The Taylor that she did not want to be, embracing the Skitter she chose to become) and then at some point caused the remainder of the Livsey family to kill themselves the same way Reggie did, with gunshot wounds, really clarifies that Taylor did something unforgivable. She exploited her friendship with Lisa to injure her in a way that can never be repaired. Lisa in canon never really had much to do with her parents ever again, but she probably didn't want them dead for neglecting Reggie.
I may edit this later, or reblog it, as new thoughts on the work come to me.
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Nobody by The Crane Wives is an Icarus Morningstar song
Some of it is more of a stretch than others but it is, overall, an Icarus Morningstar song
She woke me up at dawn, soft-spoken as a spider
Spinning webs of holy words while she was still asleep
Fable communicated with Icarus, begging them to release him, in every way possible, including through dreams if my memory serves me correctly
Kill the moon beneath my window, pull the covers tighter
And hear her voice go swinging like a hatchet through the trees
The things are with Icarus almost all the time. Especially towards the end of the SMP, they are often trying to be the voice of reason- and Icarus knows this, Icarus asks us, the things, why we can't just trust them. But on some level, they know what they're doing is wrong, we can see it on their face when they read the chat and process and feel the need to respond, to argue, to defend their actions. And there's something about that, about how they hear us and listen and still keep going with what they were doing anyway. Like they refuse to acknowledge their own reservations about their actions until someone else puts words to them.
There's a shadow at the back door
Something's moving in the shade
She lights cigarettes like lanterns
For the darkness in my head
This is a bit of a reach but this is also about the things. The things, so loud about how Icarus shouldn't do what they're doing, shouldn't side with Fable, shouldn't run after Rae found out about Centross. They bring light to what Icarus is ignoring.
Nobody ever loved me, ever loved me
Nobody ever loved me
Like she tells me she does
And this is about Fable. This is about Fable manipulating Icarus from the beginning, taking advantage of Icarus' self-imposed isolation(they didn't talk to people unless asked to, Rae or Centross had to get them out of the house often), how after Centross died Fable said he'd bring him back. And Icarus listening to what he told them, only what he told them.
Tender as a bruise, sharper than a razor
Wrap her tentacles around me like she'll never let me go
Fable needed to keep Icarus on his side. He would manipulate them as much as he needed to in order to keep his child on his side. But some part of Icarus knew Fable was and would continue doing more harm than good.
Her fury shakes the rafters, but never in my favor
I'm trembling in the eye of the only storm I've ever known
Fable wasn't exactly kind to Icarus. And I think that's putting it lightly. Icarus, whether they realized it or not, was at least a little afraid of Fable. They're also desperate for his attention, his praise, his *love*. And they didn't get it, did they? But they got his disappointment when they failed to follow through.
The keys are in the back door
Something's wailing in my chest
It eclipses every siren
Any sins that she's confessed
Icarus could've left! They could've. They could've gone back to Rae. Ven left, and would have taken them with. Arisanna too. And they know this, they know that leaving was always an option in the back of their mind and that part of them was crying, screaming, begging to leave and would not stop.
Nobody ever loved me, ever loved me
Nobody ever loved me
So she tells me
The "So she tells me" carries so much.
Who has loved Icarus the way Fable claims he does? Who has cared the way Fable claims? After Centross died Icarus was vulnerable and Fable preyed on that. So he tells them he will bring their friend, their best friend, back.
Nobody ever loved me, ever loved me
Nobody ever loved me
Like she tells me she does
And Icarus agrees. Icarus believes. Icarus believes Fable, and considers nobody else.
I should be counting blessings
Something is better than nothing
Isn't it, isn't it, isn't it?
This is enough, for Icarus. This isolation, this cage Fable put them in, they put themselves in. Because they have something, right? This belief that when all is said and done, Centross will be brought back. Right? Right? They're lucky Fable cares, aren't they?
It's close enough to perfect
What does it hurt, a little bit?
A little bit
A little bit
The glitching hurt. Missing Centross hurts. Being alone hurts. But it's okay. It's okay. They're making everything better, they're fixing everything. Who cares if it hurts?
Maybe they deserve to hurt
Nobody ever loved me, ever loved me
Nobody ever loved me
Like she loves me
This is Icarus' final acceptance. They know what they're doing is wrong but they're in too deep now. Nobody ever loved them like Fable does because Fable doesn't, thats the thing. But they're in too deep, they're too far gone, they are in their own mind beyond saving.
Nobody ever loved me, ever loved me
Nobody ever loved me
Like she tells me she does
But in the end, its fake. Fable always tells them, and nothing else. And they listen. They listen to what Fable tells them.
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Hey💌 boyfriend things with Jaehyun please
i can’t even explain how excited i was when i got this one omg !!
sorry for the wait but here it is !! hope yall enjoy !!
xoxo ~ lunar
Boyfriend Jaehyun Things
bf!jaehyun who spends his time crushing on you from a distance… he’s outspoken when he wants to be, but something about being around you makes all coherent thoughts leave his brain… he’s down bad before he even admits it to himself
bf!jaehyun who, when he finally confesses his feelings, opens up more, testing the waters to see your likes and dislikes… tries taking you on different dates to get to know your preferences and help both of you get comfortable with each other… low key cautious at the start of a relationship
bf!jaehyun who surprisingly waits to kiss you after the third date… i genuinely believe he’s a romantic at heart and would want a more classic romance… growing together and knowing each other before fully committing… he doesn’t want to get hurt and he definitely doesn’t want to hurt you either
bf!jaehyun who when he finally asks you out does a full 180… he’s still cute and romantic, but he’s comfortable enough to be more playful with you… and let me tell ya, this man’s a MENACE… constant teasing, low key intentionally provoking you just so he can see that adorable pout of yours, he just can’t help himself
bf!jaehyun who doesn’t fall for any of the tiktok relationship pranks you might try to pull… he just finds the funny instead… sits there with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face while you’re giving him the “silent treatment”… knows exactly how to get you to forget about the prank and talk to him again
bf!jaehyun who, despite his relentless teasing, is such a softie for you… there’s not a single thing he wouldn’t do for you… he would go out of his way to get you your favorite desserts or treats just to see you smile… buys you random gifts because he thought it was cute or it reminded him of you (keep in mind they’re not always the cutest gifts… he’s a menace after all…)
bf!jaehyun who knows you better than you know yourself… he could walk into the room after not seeing you for three days and know exactly what mood your in… not only that but he also knows exactly how to help all of your moods and doesn’t hesitate when he knows something is off… honestly, he probably knows it just through text and knows what kind of mood you’re in before he even sees you…
bf!jaehyun who clings to you as if you’re a lifeline… when it comes to you, he likes to show his love through physical touch… he’s subtle about it in public, maybe his arm over your shoulder, or his hand on the small of your back, but he’s still touching you in some way… but in private? oh boy… he’s clinging to you like a bay koala, whining if you even attempt to leave his embrace…
bf!jaehyun who hates being away from you… but he is an idol after all, he can’t help it… when he’s away he sends you goofy pictures and videos to make you smile, texts you sweet things, buys anything in sight that reminds him of you (and there’s a lot of things that remind him of you)… probably would end up taking an empty suitcase wherever he goes just to fill it with things to bring back for you (even though his managers yell at him for it…)
bf!jaehyun who loves you fiercely and unconditionally… in his eyes there’s nothing more perfect than you… he loves you as if there’s not a single flaw in your body, and he makes that known… and if someone hurts you? good luck to them… nobody hurts his baby and gets away with it and he makes sure of it… but he’s not toxic about it either… he’s possessive and territorial but only when he needs to be, because seeing how happy you are doing the things you want to do makes him the happiest man alive… at the end of the day, he just wants to be the one who loves you, and he loves you better than anyone else ever could
<3
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