Steve sits on his bed as his heart threatens to beat out of his chest. He just sent Eddie home with the promise he'll call after everything is calmed down.
If he doesn't get kicked out first.
Half an hour ago they were getting ready for bed and kissing each other goodnight when a surprised "oh!" from his doorway makes them jump apart, Steve's mother standing there wide-eyed and a hand covering her mouth.
Now Eddie's gone and Steve's left alone to listen to the muffled argument coming from downstairs.
"—another boy, Linda! If this gets out—"
"Give the boy some credit, John. He's smart. By the looks of it this wasn't just a one time fling." His mother pauses and then says something that has Steve straining his ears to try and hear over the blood rushing.
There's a knock on his door a moment later and Steve wants to cry. If only she'd done that earlier. She steps in and closes the door behind her. Gingerly sits beside him. He keeps his eyes locked on his hands in his lap.
"Steven."
Her voice is gentle but it still makes him flinch. She sighs.
"We're not mad, Steven."
Steve lifts his head. "What—"
"I won't say it's something we saw coming," she continued. "It's a shock to us both."
His eyes are wide, darting around her face. "But— I— What about dad?"
Linda looks almost thoughtful. "Your father... He'll come around, give him time." She puts a hand on his knee. It's a comforting weight and it grounds Steve a little. He leans into his mother's side a little.
She tuts at him, "Oh, Steven," and wraps her arms around him and he buries his face in her shoulder, taking deep, steadying breaths. They sit like that for a few moments before Linda pulls away. Both of their eyes are a little red rimmed.
"Your father does want to talk to you before bed, though."
.
He stands outside of his parents' bedroom and knocks, his hands shaking.
"Come in."
Steve opens the door. His father is unpacking his suitcase and putting clothes back on their hangers. Before he can even get a word out, his father speaks.
"Have you been seeing that boy long?"
Steve nods. "Yes, sir."
"How long?"
"Almost a year. About eight months."
John pauses, but continues to unpack. He doesn't speak any further but Steve knows its not the end of their conversation. He stands by the door and tries not to fidget, feeling much like the little boy who stood in the same exact spot as he was scolded for breaking an expensive vase on accident.
Then, his father asks a question that completely floors him.
"Do you love him?"
Steve blinks. "What?"
"That boy," John clarifies, "do you love him?"
Steve’s answer is immediate: "So much it scares me sometimes."
The expression on his father's face is a complicated one. He sighs and moves to sit on the bed.
"What’s his name?" he asks, patting the spot beside him.
"Eddie," Steve answers, slowly moving forward to sit beside his father. "Eddie Munson."
"Munson," John says thoughtfully, trying to place the name.
"His uncle said he went to school with you and mom," Steve says helpfully. "Wayne Munson."
John hums, his brow furrowed. "Hm, I don't remember much of him, but I do remember his brother making quite a ruckus." He looks at Steve. "Does he treat you well?"
"Like I'm made of glass," Steve says quietly, cheeks flushing, phantom caresses of Eddie's fingers tickling across his skin.
John studies him for a moment before sighing. "I just want you to be happy, son," he says, surprising Steve. "And if this boy— Eddie— is the person that does that, then... That's good enough for me."
It takes a minute for Steve’s mind to catch up with his father's words. He gape, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, and John laughs and pats his knee before standing.
"Close your mouth and go call your boy, I'm sure he's pacing by the phone worried out of his mind. Invite him over for dinner tomorrow night so we can meet him officially."
Steve practically runs downstairs. His mother gives him a look as he quickly dials the number he knows by heart.
Eddie picks up on the second ring.
"Stevie?" He sounds frantic, just like his father suspected. "Are you okay? Do I need to come get you?"
Steve laughs, feeling lighter than he has in years. "I'm okay, you don't need to do that. Um..."
John comes into the kitchen and stands behind his mother, the two of them giving him encouraging smiles.
'Ask him,' his mother mouths. Steve flushes and turns slightly away from them to have some privacy. He has a feeling this will be happening a lot more in the near future.
"So, listen, um. Don't make any plans for tomorrow night..."
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I missed you too
The Parent Trap
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I ended up watching the original 1961 Parent Trap and LORD but there's a lot going on in that film.
But ignoring the more . . . distressingly unhealthy 60s attitude toward marriage dynamics. . . The actual twin swap is such a good angle (and the effects genuinely hold up really well) I just wanted to capture the stress of trying to assimilate into a life so unlike your own, and that gut punch moment when they get to meet their missing parent for the first time.
And from there I just couldn't help imagine a future parent reconciliation, with a couple of siblings added into the mix . . .
Unlike in the film where they were right to have gotten divorced (and shoulda stayed super divorced)- Takaaki and Kiyoko's seperation was very much a symptom of Toranosuke's scandal and demanded by Kiyoko's father. So when they meet once again as a result of the Twin's shenanigans, the two of them could easily develop a genuine connection, now they're older, more experienced, and freed from the pressure of expectation.
And I'm not immune to making every red eyed Dangan character an Ishimaru sibling
(Truth be told, this has been on my mind ever since @puckishpal 's just marvellous fic Changed, and I really wanted to get this out in time for @mini-mecha-cowboy 's Kiyotaka week prompts AU and Lookalike, but uuuh- I managed to miss that by just a few ;; )
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@brieflyimpossiblecreation Fun! I did end up going with a more human but to the left character design to fit in better with my idea of where they were in cannon. Part two
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To say that things had gone terribly would be an understatement. The Ghost Investigation Ward had tried out their latest Weapon of Mass Destruction™️ meant to tear a hole open into the Infinite Realms so they could send in a different WoMD™️ (they clearly hadn't taken the Fenton's refusal to give them access to their portal well)
Fortunately for Team Phantom the Weapon didn't actually open a hole into the Infinite Realms.
Unfortunately for Team Phantom it did open a interdimensional portal to somewhere. And because Danny seemed to be lucks favorite punching bag he was sucked into said portal. Naturally Sam and Tucker were pulled in as well, because they were Ride or Die definitely not because they had been too close to get away in time; really.
While Danny's luck was bad Sam and Tucker had relatively decent luck which seemed to help cancel it out giving them the advantage of falling into a cornfield; a blow Sam was able to soften with usage of her power courtesy of being an exemplary host for Undergrowth.
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A man waded through piles of snapped corn stalks. He'd been on his early morning rounds when the crash had sounded in the early morning quiet.
As he came upon the crash site he noticed three small bodies, small compared to those he interacted with in the daily to be exact. Three teenagers stared back at him. All three had eyes so bright they were almost neon and slightly pointed ears. The one who's skin was tinted a blue color appeared to have fangs. The one with the neon violet eyes and hair so dark it seemed to suck the shadows into was looking at the corn that leaned towards her like sunflowers to the sun. The last, who smelled of a hot desert day and had breath thag sounded like radio static opened his mouth but the man spoke before he had the chance.
"Martha! Get the guest rooms ready. It happened again!"
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